


The Fairy Tale Inside Your Head

by doctornineandthreequarters



Series: Every Breath of Me [4]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Captain America: Civil War (Movie), James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-03-07 09:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 55,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18870853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/pseuds/doctornineandthreequarters
Summary: The fairy tale inside your headHas become your new best friendBut I can show you that I'll be thereBefore the story ends-----He had watched his dad for the last seven years save the world as Iron Man. He remembered the fears that always bubbled up inside of him every time his dad took off to save the day. But why had he been afraid? His dad always came home, his dad always saved the day. Maybe, he had been afraid because he couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t help. He just had to stay hidden and be protected. But now? He could do something. He could be a hero. He could protect his dad, after all those years of protecting him. And that was what he was going to do.





	1. Testing Powers

**Author's Note:**

> Part four of Every Breath of Me! Enjoy!

It became clear to Peter that the spider that bit him, definitely was the cause of what he was able to do. Though his dad had promised to stay home with him the next day, he had had to go to a board meeting. Peter had taken the opportunity to go down to the lab and run some tests. He had put his hand under a microscope and discovered tiny, microscopic hairs suddenly on his hand. They weren’t noticeable to the naked eye. 

“Must be where the sticking comes from.”

He had left the lab after that because FRIDAY would have probably snitched on him if he had stayed in the lab longer than a few minutes. He went down to the training room next. No one had touched the room in a while. When the team was basically living there, Steve and Nat were there all the time. But now they spent most of their time in the Compound or on missions. He went over to the treadmill first.

“Super speed would be cool,” He muttered as he got on the treadmill. He was a terrible runner. Gym was a nightmare because he had no stamina and would be out of breath after maybe two minutes of running. He started slow, barely a jog. When he realized he was fine and breathing normally, he picked up the speed. At that speed, he should’ve had to stop but he didn’t. So he kept upping the speed. He’d once seen Steve run on the treadmill at the speed of 8.0. So Peter bumped it up to that speed. He laughed in delight when he realized he wasn’t tired and could run at that speed. 

Until he tripped over his own feet. 

He went flying backwards. Something in his brain told him to tuck backwards and he completed a nearly perfect backflip before landing in a crouched position on the ground.

“Whoa.” He had a smile on his face.

“Peter your heart rate is elevated,” FRIDAY’s voice brought him out of his joyful thoughts. “Should I alert your father?”

“N-no!” Peter said quickly, running over to the shut the treadmill off. “I’m fine.” He took a breath, the panic of FRIDAY alerting his dad subsiding. Clearly, he couldn’t run these tests at home.

He’d need a safe place to figure out his abilities.

* * *

His dad let him go back to school the next day, as he was feeling much better. His dad was actually a little confused as to how much he had improved, but Peter waved it off as a twenty-four-hour virus. He was excited to go to school, mostly because he could research more, away from the sneaky eyes of FRIDAY. 

Ned was happy to see him, even if he had two days’ worth of homework to give him. Ned caught him up on everything as well, especially how Flash tried to steal his spot on the team, but Mr. Harrington wouldn’t allow that. 

Peter spent most of his day researching the abilities of spiders. Apparently, spiders were super strong. Peter wondered how strong. During gym, they were given the option to go to the weight room. Peter was the only one who took the option, earning a snide remark from Flash that he ignored. The room was empty, which meant Peter could experiment in peace.

“Let’s start light,” He said to himself. The last time he tried to lift weights, he could barely lift the barbell, which was only forty-five pounds. Today, he was able to lift it no problem. So he added more weight. And then more. And then more.

By the end of the period, he was easily lifting two hundred pounds, without even breaking a sweat. He quickly put the weights back so nobody we be suspicious. It was crazy to him how strong he was. And it certainly meant he needed to do way more research.

* * *

In Chemistry lab later, Peter was researching spiders again. He had finished the lab assignment, so he was able to do more of his research. A lot of information on spiders was about their webs. Of what Peter could tell, he was not given an ability to make webs. But one website did have the chemical composition of spiders’ webs. It seemed pretty easy to make. He glanced at the chemicals in front of him, before grabbing a beaker. He opened the drawer of the table and ducked his head down.

It took a few tries, but finally, he had something that had the same viscosity as webs. But he needed to test them out. He quickly bottles the composition and gently placed the bottle in his backpack. The bell rang and Peter quickly left the lab.

“Peter!” He turned around to see Ned trying to catch up to him. “Where are you going? We have robotics club!” Peter internally cursed himself. He was so focused on testing his new abilities that he forgot.

“Oh um I have to get home,” Peter said. Ned frowned. “Yeah, my dad is still worried about me so he wants me to come home and rest.” 

“Oh, okay,” Ned said with a shrug. “See you tomorrow!” And then he headed off down the hallway. Peter quickly headed out of the school. He then remembered Happy, who always picked him up. Robotics club ended at 3:30. Peter sent Happy a quick text. 

**Going to Ned’s house after Robotics. His mom said she could give me a ride home later.**

He waited for a response, biting on his lip. Finally, his phone buzzed. 

_Okay. I’ll let your dad know._

Peter smiled and took off running. He had a few hours to test his abilities out. He kept running until he found a small alleyway. He ducked into the alleyway and moved until he was away from watching eyes. He pulled his hood up over his head. If anyone spotted what he was doing, he wanted to be as incognito as possible. He put his bag down and pulled out the bottle and some safety gloves. He poured some of the mixture out and onto the gloves.

It felt like a spider’s web, only stronger, like it could hold anything. He pulled a strand of it so it was the length of a rope. He then threw it at a nearby trash can. He yelped in delight when it clung to the metal trash can. He began pulling the trash can towards him, the web not breaking.

“Ouch!” He dropped the web rope, seeing that it had burned a hole through the safety gloves. “I guess I’m going to need something stronger than gloves. He walked over to the trash can to inspect it. The web was still attached to one side. Unlike the gloves, there wasn’t a hole in the metal.

“I wonder,” He muttered. He dashed back to his backpack and pulled out a small tool kit. His dad had bought it for him when he was ten and insisted he carry it everywhere. He had always said, you never know when you might need to fix a problem. And right now, he was pretty glad he had it. He crouched down in front of the trash can and began cutting out some of the metal. It took some time, but Peter was surprisingly not sore afterwards. Once he had cut two pieces free, he went back over to where the bottle was. 

He began his experiment, slowly pouring some of the web fluid onto the metal. He tipped it around, noting how the web fluid would hold onto the metal in the middle but stretch to the sides. He was so caught up in it, that he wasn’t paying attention to the sides of the metal.

He yelped in surprise, when he felt something sharp slice his skin. He dropped the metal and looked down at his hand. There was a large cut on his hand that was now bleeding. He swore to himself and pulled his sweatshirt off, before wrapping it around his hand. He felt his eyes tearing up, noting how much the cut hurt. He sat on the ground, willing himself to not cry from the pain. 

After a few minutes, he started to realize the cut didn’t hurt as much. He glanced down at his hand, pulling the sweatshirt off as he did. He tossed it to the side, as it was now covered in blood and he couldn’t explain that to his dad (he could explain a lost sweatshirt easily, he was kind of forgetful). He glanced down at his hand, surprised to see it wasn’t bleeding anymore. He was sure the cut had been deep, but now it looked like a small scratch, like a paper-cut.

“Do I add super-healing to the list?” He questioned out loud. A small grin spread across his face. Being bitten by that radioactive spider was turning out better than he expected.

* * *

Tony stepped out of the elevator later that evening. Between meetings and working in the lab, he had been busy all day. Pepper had been more understanding about scheduling meetings around his and Peter’s schedule when they were together. Now, meetings were just scheduled without speaking to him first. He wondered if she was punishing or just not handling their break-up well. He couldn’t ask her. Texting her felt wrong and she tended to avoid him if they were in the same meeting. He shook his head, a problem for a different day. 

He looked around the kitchen, looking for his son. He was surprised to not see Peter working at the kitchen island. Peter had gotten home over an hour ago, FRIDAY had told him so. He looked towards the common room, not seeing Peter on the couch either. He sighed, confused as to where his son was. He headed down the hallway, towards Peter’s room. The door was partially cracked open, so he entered.

Peter was sitting at his desk, hunched over something, a screwdriver in his hand. His tongue was sticking out of his mouth and he was so focused on what he was doing. 

“Hard at work?” Tony asked. The screwdriver dropped out of Peter’s hand and he looked up as if startled. “Whoa, didn’t mean to scare you, bambino.” A sheepish look crossed Peter’s face. 

“I guess I was just really focused,” Peter said, picking up the screwdriver from the floor. Tony chuckled and sat down on the bed.

“Whatcha working on kiddo?” Tony asked, trying to see the project Peter had been tinkering with. Peter made a face before sighing. 

“It’s for Robotics club,” Peter said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. He had never had to lie to his dad before. But for some reason, he couldn’t find himself telling his dad what was happening. “I’m trying to make like gloves of some sort that could release ropes to pull something closer.”

“Trying to make a battlebot?” Tony asked and Peter shrugged. “It’s okay if you are. I won a lot of battlebot fights in my day.” He stood up. “Not that I’m encouraging it. Make good choices and all.”

“Yes dad,” Peter said, a slight smirk on his face. Tony stood up and moved towards the desk. Peter felt a little anxious. Would his dad figure out what he was up to? Tony inspected the silver pieces on his desk.

“You’ll need a stronger metal.” Tony said. “That one isn’t durable. And you’ll need the center to be able to release your rope. Maybe a spring of some sort.” Peter nodded wordlessly. “You can grab some materials from the lab if you want. I’ve got some left over titanium alloy.” 

“Really?” Peter asked. 

“Duh,” Tony said with a smirk. “Gotta make sure my kid has the best battlebot.” Peter smiled, but he felt a little guilty. He was lying to his dad, even though his dad was helping him. Tony leaned down and kissed the top of Peter’s head. “Dinner time?” Peter nodded.

“Pasta?” He suggested and Tony nodded. Peter put the materials down and followed his dad out of the room, trying to push away the feeling of guilt gnawing at him.

* * *

Peter laid in bed later that evening. He had spent all day figuring out some of what he could do. He was sure there was more but he was still learning. But one question was bugging him.

What was he going to do with all these abilities?

He had watched his dad for the last seven years save the world as Iron Man. He remembered the fears that always bubbled up inside of him every time his dad took off to save the day. But why had he been afraid? His dad always came home, his dad always saved the day. Maybe, he had been afraid because he couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t help. He just had to stay hidden and be protected.

But now? He could do something. He could be a hero. 

He could protect his dad, after all those years of protecting him.

And that was what he was going to do.


	2. Doing Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Until the news was reporting about him.
> 
> Well not him, but a strange person in a red hoodie and goggles. The reporter was talking about how he had saved somebody’s life. Peter couldn’t help but smile. They were calling him a hero.

Peter hadn’t slept much the previous night. He had been up late thinking about how he could do some good, heroic actions. He had passed out, sometime after three, still clueless as to what to do. He was barely able to keep his eyes open as he and his dad took the elevator down to the garage.

“You weren’t working on that rope shooter all night, were you?” Tony asking, gently jostling Peter’s side. Peter looked up sleepily at his dad. “Kid, I know I have bad habit of not sleeping, but I’d super love if you didn’t inherit it.”

“I didn’t,” Peter said, before yawning. Tony gave him a look. “I didn't! I was just tossing and turning for a while.” Tony chuckled and ruffled his hair. They reached the garage. As they were moving towards one of the cars, Peter felt something weird. He looked down at his arms. The hairs on his arms were standing straight up. He looked up, to see a light from the garage ceiling starting to come loose.

“Dad look out!” Peter shouted, knocking his dad out of the way. Tony grunted as the two hit the ground, Tony instinctively wrapping his arms around Peter and covering him with his body. Five feet away from them, the light crashed to the ground.

“Are you both okay?” Happy asked running over to them. Tony stared wide-eyed at the light and then at Peter. He stood up slowly, helping Peter up as well.

“How did you,” He began staring at the light and then at Peter.

“It was swinging,” Peter said, the lie coming out easily. “I just saw it was going to fall.” Tony nodded and hugged Peter tightly. “Dad, I’m fine.”

“Yeah I know,” Tony said, letting Peter go. “You really saved my skin back there, bambino.” Peter smiled brightly. “Go wait in the car while I talk to Happy.” Peter nodded and got into the orange Audi. He had saved his dad; him, Peter Stark.

“I’ll get someone in here to fix that,” Peter spun around, suddenly able to hear Happy clearly. But Happy and his dad were outside of the car. He focused, wondering what else he could hear.

“You do that,” Tony said. He could hear the aggravation in his dad’s voice. “And maybe find me the person who built this garage, so I can fire their ass.”

“I don’t know if that’s necessary boss.” Peter turned away. How could he so clearly hear them? Was that another ability from the spider bite? Tony got into the car then and started it up.

“You good bambino?” Tony asked and Peter nodded. “That was crazy.”

“Yeah,” Peter said, still wondering about his hearing.

“I’m proud of you Peter,” Tony said with a smile. “You handled that like a champ.” Peter looked out the window a smile on his face. Maybe this was the kind of heroic act he needed to do. Start small. He didn’t need to be Iron Man, just yet. He stared out the window, formulating an idea.

“You packed what you need for May and Ben’s right?” He turned to face his dad, confusion on his face. “I have to leave for a conference for a week. We talked about it the other day.” Peter tilted his head. “It was before you got sick. I don’t blame you for forgetting.”

“Oh right,” Peter said. “I think I might have forgotten a few things.” Tony chuckled and smiled sheepishly. “Can I text Happy and ask him to grab them from my room?”

“Sure kiddo,” Tony said, a smirk on his face. They pulled up to the school. “Thanks for the save this morning. I’ll see you in a few days, okay?”

“Okay,” Peter said with a smile. “Love you dad.”

“Love you too bambino.” Peter then got out of the car and headed inside. He realized this would be the perfect time to test out his new abilities. He’d be at May and Ben’s. And if they were both working the night shift, then they’d never know if he was home or not. He smiled to himself as he headed inside, already formulating his plans.

Before Peter could go out, he had one problem to solve.

He had figured out what he was calling his web shooters, his dad’s suggestions having done the trick. He even made an additional batch of the web fluid in chemistry, though he did notice Michelle from Decathlon staring at him a lot. But there was one problem he had.

His eyes felt like they were on fire.

The lights in school seemed really bright at one point, that he could barely focus. In making the web fluid, he had almost dropped it on the ground. Luckily, the bottle had stuck to his hand. But it was hard to focus when his eyes were seeing more than usual. Looking it up, he wondered if it had to with spiders’ eyes. Most spiders had more than two eyes. Perhaps his senses were overloaded because his eyes were trying to see more than he could. Breathing and water seemed to help, but how could he do anything if he couldn’t see properly?

He spotted the magnifying glass when he was looking for a new beaker (the one at this table was in use for his web fluids and he did have some classwork to do). When he looked through the magnifying glass, he realized it helped him see better.

“They should have higher tech ones,” He turned to see Ned next to him. “To zoom in on our work? Like how cameras magnifying pictures.” He grabbed a beaker and headed back to their station. Peter watched him go, a strange look on his face.

Now that was certainly an idea.

* * *

As luck would have it, May and Ben were working the night shifts. Ben wasn’t there when he got home, but May was. She and Peter had dinner together, May asking Peter a ton of questions to catch up. They were both working a lot because Ben wanted to take May on trip to Italy for Christmas. May, even for the good Italian woman she was, had never been. Ben had apparently been asking his dad for places to go. Tony helped out and had told Peter he considered offering to pay for it, but knew better. Ben Parker was too proud to take money from Tony.

But by six o’clock, the apartment was empty. Peter dug into his backpack to grab his supplies. He had put a healthy amount of his web fluid into the web shooters. He attached them to his hands, testing them. They weren’t perfect but he’d fix them later. He had changed out of his jeans into more comfortable clothing. He then grabbed a red sweatshirt from his closet and threw it on, making sure the hood covered his face. Then, over the hood and on top of his eyes, he placed a pair of googles. Ned’s idea had helped him create it. It was another thing he’d have to work on later, but they worked for now. He then opened the window and climbed his way out of the apartment and to the top of the building.

He had never stood on the top of the apartment building before. He took a moment to breath in the air, a small smile on his face. He then aimed his web shooters at the nearest tree and jumped, swinging towards the tree. He let an excited yell as he soared through the air. He wasn’t paying attention and almost slammed into the tree. But he was able to redirect and grab onto one of the branches, pulling himself to safety.

“Okay focus Peter,” He muttered to himself. He paused when he heard a meow. He looked to his right to see a cat in the tree.

“Whiskers!” He could hear the voice of a young girl. He glanced at the cat wondering if this was the Whiskers being called for. When the cat meowed again, he took that as a yes.

“Come here kitty,” He said, leaning towards the cat. The cat tried to swipe at him and Peter yelped. He tried again, getting bit this time. “Stupid cat.” Finally, he was able to get the cat. He swung down from the tree, the cat meowing in protest.

“Whiskers!” A small, dark-skinned girl with perfectly braided hair came running up to him. She gave him a strange look before holding out her arms. Peter handed the cat and she smiled. “Thank you, strange person.”

“No problem!” And then he swung off. This doing good, it felt amazing!

* * *

Peter woke up a little later than normal the next day. Ben and May’s apartment was closer to Midtown Tech than the Tower. And he had been out late. After the cat incident, Peter had stopped two car jackings and one bike thief. He’d even pulled a teenager, who was too busy texting, out of the street before he got hit by a car. It had felt like a pretty successful evening.

He got dressed and headed out of his small room in the Queens apartment. May was standing at the stove, which worried Peter, and Ben was sitting on the couch. He was sipping coffee from a mug and watching the news.

“Morning sweetheart,” May said as he approached the kitchen table. She kissed the side of his head and he smiled. “I made breakfast. It’s just some scrambled eggs, but I figured you could use a nice breakfast.” She turned back to the stove and Peter wandered over to the couch.

“I don’t know if you can burn eggs, but fingers crossed,” Ben said, nodding towards May. Peter chuckled and sat down next to Ben. They sat in comfortable silence.

Until the news was reporting about him.

Well not him, but a strange person in a red hoodie and goggles. The reporter was talking about how he had saved somebody’s life. Peter couldn’t help but smile. They were calling him a hero.

“Sounds dangerous,” May said, walking over to the TV. “I know superheroes are common now, but why would you just put yourself at risk like that?” Peter tried not to frown. He wasn’t putting himself in danger. He had saved someone’s life!

“That’s not even the half of it,” Ben said. “Station was getting reports of the hooded guy all night. Seems he stopped a couple vandals and low-rent thieves.” Peter raised an eyebrow. “Just as long as this hooded guy doesn’t get in the way of the cops, we’ll be fine.” May nodded.

“Come eat breakfast Peter,” Peter nodded and headed over to the table. Maybe what he was doing wasn’t a smart idea. He could endanger someone or a police investigation. But the word hero kept ringing in his ears. He was a hero. Even if no one knew it.

And that was all that mattered to him.


	3. Gunshots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The only thing about good-deed doing and somewhat crime fighting was how tired it left him. He never got enough sleep when he was out all night swinging through Queens making sure people were safe. But his dad had operated on less sleep than he was getting and he seemed fine.
> 
> All in all, everything was fine.
> 
> Until Friday came along.

Everyone at school was talking about the news report. Apparently, the kid he saved was a senior at Midtown. His name was Evan and he kept talking about it. Peter passed him at one point and thanks to some enhanced hearing, could make out the whole conversation.

“So I was just walking texting Lacey about our date on Friday, when out of nowhere, this guy comes flying in and pulls me out of the road. And as he pulled me away, I swear I felt the rush of the car past us. I would’ve been toast. And this guy, he had webs! Coming out of his hands! It was crazy.”

Peter smiled to himself as he kept walking down the hallway.

“Did you hear?” Ned was suddenly by his side. “Evan Mancini, he’s a senior in band, he almost died last night!”

“No way,” Peter said, acting like he had no idea what was going on. Ned nodded his head. “What happened?”

“Some dude with like freaky spider powers saved him!” Ned said. “Or at least that’s what Abe said he said to Liz.”

“Spider powers?” Peter asked, trying not to smile. “That can’t be real.”

“Evan’s saying he had like webs!” Ned said. “I mean, you’ve met Black Widow. Maybe she trained him?” Ned gasped. “Is he a new Avenger? Do you know him?” Peter shook his head.

“I don’t think this guy is an Avenger,” Peter said. “Besides, has he done anything else besides save Evan?”

“You’re right,” Ned said. “But maybe, one day he will be an Avenger. And then you can meet him and he can tell you all about it!” Peter chuckled as they kept walking to class. But he knew that would never happen. This was his secret. If his dad ever knew, well he’d be grounded into the next millennium. But he would enjoy the fun he was having. Because he was having a lot of damn fun.

* * *

He went out every night while he was staying in Queens. Most nights were easy. Ben and May worked night shifts. Wednesday evening though, May wasn’t working. So Peter had to wait until she was asleep. It was kind of freaky to be able to hear his aunt’s soft breathing from the other room, but enhanced hearing was really coming in handy.

He stopped a few more petty thieves and even stopped a car chase (which was cool and Peter was buzzing for hours after it). But what was even cooler was every time he showed up somewhere, someone was trying to take a picture or video of him.

He was famous. Or at least his good-deed doing alter ego was.

Names didn’t seem to be sticking. Freaky spider powers, spider hero, and spider guy were all thrown around, but none of them stuck.

He didn’t mind though. The right one would happen. He still remembered the day his dad decided to go by Iron Man. That moment was as bright in his memories as the day it happened. He’d get that moment.

The only thing about good-deed doing and somewhat crime fighting was how tired it left him. He never got enough sleep when he was out all night swinging through Queens making sure people were safe. But his dad had operated on less sleep than he was getting and he seemed fine.

All in all, everything was fine.

Until Friday came along.

* * *

“What a movie, huh?” Peter and May were on the couch, the credits rolling on the television. Ben was working the overnight shift again. May said that after this shift, they would be able to pay for their vacation, which they were both excited about. May didn’t have work that evening, which was why Peter was hanging out with her. He needed to know exactly when she was going to sleep so he could sneak out.

“Yeah,” Peter said, before yawning exaggeratedly. May smiled softly at him.

“Sleepy?” Peter nodded. “Me too.” She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “Night sweetie.” Peter smiled and got up. As he headed towards his room, he noticed May going towards her room as well.

“Night May,” Peter said, before disappearing into his room. He waited at the door for close to twenty minutes. Once he could hear May’s even breathing from the other room, he knew she was asleep. He grabbed his backpack and the hoodie with his goggles. He threw the hoodie on, securing the goggles over his eyes. He attached the web shooters to his hands and then climbed out the window. He swung from the apartment to the nearest subway and kept swinging until he found a decent roof to wait on. He crouched down and listened, waiting to hear sounds of people who might need help.

He heard gunshots instead.

His heart started beating faster and his breath picked up. He didn’t need to go figure out what was wrong. But something told him he should. His dad would do it, wouldn’t he? Why shouldn’t he? So Peter swung towards the sound. He landed near a deli. He could see broken glass and the deli was deathly quiet. He snuck around, looking for a good vantage point.

He spotted one guy with a gun, pointed at the cashier, a young Asian woman. The cashier’s hands were up and she was crying. Peter watched from the window as the robber demanded the cash. She did as she was told and then the robber went running. Peter took off after him, hearing sirens in the distance. The robber ran into an alleyway and Peter chased after him. He shot a web, which missed the robber by a hair.

“What the hell?” He shouted turning around. His eyes went wide when he spotted Peter. “You’re that Spider dude.”

“That’s a new one,” Peter muttered. He pointed one of his web shooters at the guy. “Just hand over the money and no one gets hurt.”

“Get back freak!” He shouted. “I’ll shoot!” Peter was about to say something when a new voice joined the conversation.

“Freeze!” Peter’s eyes, which were thankfully hidden, went wide. He’d know that voice anywhere. He turned slowly. Ben was standing there, in full uniform, a gun pointed at the robber and Peter. “Helping a thief now? So much for a vigilante.”

“I’m trying to stop him!” Peter said, trying to make his voice sound deeper. He felt the hairs on his arm stand up. He spun around just as the gun went off. Peter ducked, shooting webs at that man as he did. The webs caught him on the hand, sending him flying back into the wall. The force caused him to knock his head into the wall, knocking the sense out of him. Peter quickly checked himself as he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Help,” He turned around, the familiar strength of his Uncle’s voice gone. Panic started to build up in Peter as he stared at his uncle.

The bullet had missed him. But it had hit his uncle.

“No!” Peter shouted running over to him. He knelt down, trying to find the source of the bleeding. Ben, slowly losing consciousness, stared at him oddly.

“What are you doing?” He grumbled. Peter ripped the hoodie off his head and Ben’s eyes widened. “Peter?”

“Ben,” Peter cried. His uncle was bleeding out in front of him. His uncle had been shot because he had tried to stop the thief. “God, no. Help!” Ben reached up and gently cupped Peter’s face.

“You’re a crazy kid,” Ben muttered, his voice weak. “But you’ve been doing good.” Peter shook his head. This wasn’t good. This was horrible. Ben couldn’t die. May needed him. He needed him.

“Help!” Peter screamed again, hoping someone would hear them.

“You can’t stay here,” Ben said quietly. “People can’t know it’s you, that you’re the Spider-Man. That’s what we’ve been calling him down at the station.” He took a shaky breath and a sob bubbled out of Peter’s throat. He could hear sirens, but didn’t know how far away they were.

“Ben please,” Peter said. “Just hold on a little longer. Please.” Ben moved his hand to ruffle Peter’s hair, only making Peter cry harder.

“You got these gifts for a reason,” Ben said. “Don’t waste them.” Peter could hear the sirens growing closer. “Watch out for your aunt. Now, get out of here.”

“I love you Uncle Ben,” Peter said. He then stood up, hearing voices shouting for Ben. He shot a web and swung away. As soon as he was far enough away and on a rooftop, Peter let out a pained scream.

Ben was dead. And it was all his fault.


	4. Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter didn't hear anything people said. Not the pastor, not Ben’s friends and colleagues, not even his dad. Peter, with his enhanced hearing, felt like the world was muted. Like there was no sound. His dad just hugged him closely. Tears burned out of the corner of Peter’s eyes and he tried to fight the urge to scream.

Peter snuck back in, after calming down and ditching his bloody clothes. He crawled into bed, exhausted and overwhelmed. He fell asleep, hoping it was all just a bad dream.

Until he heard the wailing.

He woke suddenly and ran out of his room. May was standing at the door, her hand clamped over her mouth and her body shaking. Peter knew, then and there, that it was real. Ben was gone. He tried to calm himself as he approached May and a police officer.

“May?” He asked quietly. May turned to face him and pulled him into a hug. “What’s wrong?” May just shook her head, unable to speak. She let go of Peter and turned to officer and nodded.

“Son,” The man said and Peter felt his entire body fill with panic. “Your uncle. He’s gone.” Another sob escaped May’s lips. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” He left quickly after that. Peter turned towards May who was barely holding it together.

“Ben,” She whispered. “Why? Why him too?” Peter’s eyes filled with tears and he hugged his aunt tightly. She hugged him back, her cries turning into unintelligible sobs. Peter felt his body shaking as well. This was all his fault. He had taken Ben away from May. He was the reason Ben was dead. That fact alone nearly caused him to crumple over in grief. So he hugged May tightly, hoping her cries would drown out his own.

* * *

Tony was sitting in a meeting when it happened. It was weird sitting in a meeting with Pepper, who refused to make eye contact with him. They had agreed to be cordial, but that didn’t make it any easier. Tony tried not to look at her, tried not to miss their time together. But it was hard.

Luckily, his phone rang.

Tony excused himself quickly, not even looking to see if Pepper glanced over at him. There was only one reason his phone would ring, if something was wrong with Peter.

“Happy, is everything okay?” He asked, answering the call. “Is Peter okay?” He heard Happy sigh. “You’re freaking me out here Hogan.”

“It’s not Peter, exactly,” Happy said. “It’s Ben. He was shot last night and died at the scene.” Tony sighed and covered his face. Ben Parker hadn’t been one of his favorite people, but the two had developed a mutual respect for each other. “Peter’s a mess. May too.”

“I’ll take the jet home as soon as possible,” Tony said, his voice quiet. “Thanks Hap.” He ended the call and turned around. Pepper was waiting there. “Oh. Hey.”

“What was that about?” She asked, politely. Tony sighed and she noticed the distressed look on his face. “Tony, what’s wrong?”

“Ben’s gone,” Tony said. “Killed on the job.” Pepper bit her lip, a sad look on her face. “I...I need to go home. I need to make sure Peter’s okay.” Pepper nodded.

“Go,” She said. And Tony smiled politely before turning and walking away. He didn’t have time to obsess over that conversation or the concern in her voice. He needed to get home. He needed to get to Peter. That was what was important.

* * *

Peter couldn’t leave his room in the Queens apartment. He couldn’t see smiling pictures of Ben covering the place. It just reminded him of what he did, of what he caused. He had heard Happy’s voice at some point. Had May called him? He wasn’t sure. He couldn’t stop crying. His head was aching and he wondered if the grief was causing his senses to overload. He had vomited at least three times, even when there was nothing left to throw up.

_ Your fault, your fault _ , his brain kept chanting over and over again. It just made him cry harder.

“Oh, bambino,” He didn’t have to see him to know it was his dad. Tony wrapped his arms around him and held him close, the teenager’s sobs being muffled by his suit jacket. “It’s going to be okay bambino.” Peter shook his head as he sobbed.

This was never going to be okay. Ben was dead because of him.

* * *

They buried Ben three days after he died. The man, who had been stopped by the spider guy, as the news reported, had been arrested for Ben’s death. But Peter knew that was wrong. It was his fault that Ben was gone.

It rained the day of the funeral, which seemed to fit Peter’s mood. He felt miserable, standing there as they lowered the casket into the ground, May quietly crying next to him. Tony stood behind Peter, his hand firmly on Peter’s shoulder. It was clear to him that this was hitting Peter hard.

Peter didn't hear anything people said. Not the pastor, not Ben’s friends and colleagues, not even his dad. Peter, with his enhanced hearing, felt like the world was muted. Like there was no sound. His dad just hugged him closely. Tears burned out of the corner of Peter’s eyes and tried to fight the urge to scream.

_ Your fault, your fault _ .

When they finally got back to the Tower, Peter ran to his room, locking the door behind him. He was starting to feel like he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t get the sound of the gunshot out of his head. He gasped for air, tears falling down his face.

_ Your fault, your fault. _

He needed to calm down, needed to figure out how to breathe. He gasped for air, trying to calm the guilt bursting through him. He felt dizzy from the lack of air and sat down on his bed. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus on breathing but everything felt louder, everything hurt more. He opened his eyes, a sob bubbling out of his throat. As he cried, his ability to breathe slowly came back to him.

_ Your fault, your fault. _

He couldn’t keep this to himself anymore. He needed to tell someone. But who? His dad would go ballistic if he learned the truth. Ned would just tell everyone. Pepper wasn’t around anymore and Rhodey would have the same reaction as his dad. He pulled out his phone. There was really only one person he could call.

“Daughter of Hawkeye speaking,” He wanted to laugh when Lila answer the phone, but a sob came out instead. “Peter, are you okay?”

“God no,” He said, desperately wiping the tears away. “I messed up Lila. Big time.” And so he told her everything, because he felt like she’d understand. Lila knew what it was like to have a parent who always had to save the world. She knew the pain that would lead you to do anything. And he trusted her. He hadn’t seen her since the Ultron incident, but they texted or spoke often. She was his friend and he trusted her.

“Geez Peter,” Lila said, when he finished his story. “The crazy guy with the webs is you?”

“You’ve heard about it?”

“Aunt Nat was talking about it with my dad,” Lila said. “I was eavesdropping.” He felt a small twinge of a smile. Lila was sneaky, as he had learned. She must’ve inherited some of Clint’s skills because she was pretty damn good at listening in on people’s conversations. “She said they wanted to keep him on their radar, but that he was more small-time.”

“God I don’t need Nat knowing what I’m up to,” Peter said. “Or what I was up to.”

“Hold up,” Lila said. “You get freaky spider powers and you’re just going to not use them?” Peter sighed. “Are you kidding me?”

“My uncle died Lila.”

“It’s not your fault dumbass.” Peter’s eyes widened even though Lila couldn’t see that. He wondered if being Clint’s daughter meant the twelve-year-old had a colorful vocabulary.

“But, but it is.” He had been there when it happened. The guy had shot at him and he ducked. Ben shouldn’t have died.

“Peter your uncle was a cop,” Lila said. “He knew the risks when he joined the Police Academy. He knew the risks when he went out to deal with a robbery. You being there didn’t change the fact that some low-life had a gun.”

“He might not have died,” Peter said quietly.  _ Your fault, your fault _ . His eyes burned with tears again. He heard Lila sigh.

“Here’s what I know for certain,” Lila said. “I have looked up to my dad my whole life, thought him being a spy and an Agent of SHIELD and then an Avenger was the coolest thing. Sure, I was scared when he’d go to work, but I was also proud that my dad was a hero. I’d give anything to be like him, to make a difference in the world. You get to do that Peter. Don’t throw it away.”

“I don’t know,” Peter said, wiping at his eyes.

“You’re grieving right now,” Lila said. “Don’t make any rash decisions now. Take some time. Figure stuff out.”

“Okay,” Peter said.

“Feel better,” Lila said. “And don’t be a stranger. It’s nice to talk to people outside of my family and the small town I live in.”

“We really have to get you to come visit,” Peter said with a small smile. “Have the first meeting of the Kids of Avengers Club.”

“Shut up Stark.”

“You first Barton.” He heard a light laugh from Lila. “Thanks for listening.”

“Anytime.” And then the call ended. Peter put his phone down and sighed. His head pounded a little and he wondered if it was from the crying or his overloaded senses. He closed his eyes hoping for sleep. Hoping that maybe some rest would clear his head and help him deal with the grief and the indecision floating around in his brain.


	5. The Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything around him was dark. Peter was pretty sure his eyes were open, but he couldn’t see anything. Just darkness. Then he heard footsteps, thudding against the ground. He looked around, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from.
> 
> Then he saw it.

Everything around him was dark. Peter was pretty sure his eyes were open, but he couldn’t see anything. Just darkness. Then he heard footsteps, thudding against the ground. He looked around, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from.

Then he saw it.

He saw the scene from the alleyway. He saw the gun. He saw it go off.

“No!” He screamed. He couldn’t live through this all over again.

“Peter,” He looked up. Ben was standing in front of him. Not bleeding out, not gasping for life. Just there, in casual clothing.

“Uncle Ben,” He whispered, the familiar pain of guilt running through him. “I’m so sorry.” The tears dripped down his face.

“This was not your fault,” Ben said, his voice firm but gentle. “This moment does not have to define you Peter.”

“But you’re gone,” Peter said, unable to look at him. “Aunt May….she’s devastated. I should’ve...I could’ve done more. I could’ve saved you.” Ben sighed and shook his head.

“Look at me Peter,” He looked up at his uncle, tears in his eyes. “You did what you could. That guy would’ve gotten away if it weren’t for you.” He smiled sadly. “And May, she’s a strong woman, it’s why I married her. She’ll be okay. And she’ll have you.” Peter stared down at his hands, the web shooters staring back at him.

“I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” He whispered.

“We’re not a family of quitters,” Ben said and Peter looked up at him. “I don’t know how, but you got these abilities. Don’t waste them kiddo. You can be something great.” He placed his hand on Peter’s shoulder and Peter felt the knot in his stomach lessen. “With great power comes great responsibility. Use it right. I believe in you.”

* * *

Peter shot up in bed, breathing heavily. He looked around, trying to gain his bearings.

“Peter?” His dad was at the doorway. “Bambino, are you okay?” Peter shook his head and his dad crossed the room quickly. Peter reached out for his dad and Tony sat down on the bed, hugging him closely. “What happened?”

“Bad dream,” Peter mumbled, his face pressed against Tony’s shirt, the soft cotton calming him down. He sniffed a little and Tony kissed the top of Peter’s head.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Peter shook his head and Tony sighed. “You don’t have to go to school tomorrow, if you don’t want.”

“I’ve already missed two days,” Peter said, glancing up at his dad. “I might lose my spot on the Decathlon team if I don’t go to practice tomorrow.” Tony chuckled and nodded.

“Okay, then you’re going to need to sleep bambino.” Peter sighed.

“Can you stay with me?” He asked quietly. He knew he was a teenager and that clinging to his father was childish. But he didn’t want to have another dream like the one he had.

“I’d be happy to,” Tony said, kissing Peter’s forehead. “Scoot over squirt. It’s a good thing you’re so lanky.” Peter rolled his eyes but moved over so that he could share the bed with his dad. He laid back down and his father laid down beside him. Peter nuzzled his face closer to his dad’s chest.

“Thank you,” He said quietly.

“For you anything,” Tony said, carding his hand through Peter’s hair. Peter sighed, his eyes starting to drift shut. Peter was glad he had his dad there. He couldn’t exactly tell him why he was upset, but he was glad that his dad was there to support him anyways. His eyes closed and he drifted off, hoping for no more bad dreams.

* * *

School went slowly the next day for Peter. Between being exhausted from a lack of sleep and the guilt and sadness in his heart, Peter was barely focused in school. Sure, he got his work done. But he was quiet most of the day. Ned tried to cheer him up. But finally, the school day and Decathlon ended.

“Peter.” He was walking out of the building, practice having ended. It was Liz approaching him. His eyes went a little wide and his eyes grew red.

“Uh, h-hey Liz,” He stumbled out. “W-what’s up?” Liz smiled, a slight hint of sadness in his eyes.

“I, um heard about your uncle,” Liz said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m so sorry.” Peter nodded, a bit surprised by her condolences.

“T-thanks,” Peter said. She smiled and gently touched his arm. He felt his heart race a little.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Peter nodded wordlessly. “I’ll see you around.” She smiled again and then walked away. Peter let his heart calm down, a small smile on his face. His phone buzzed, pulling him out of his thoughts. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was from his dad.

**Stuck at work and Happy’s dealing with an SI thing. Think you can take the subway home?**

Peter sighed. He kind of wanted to get home and take a nap. But clearly that wasn’t going to happen.

_ If you make me pasta for dinner. Homemade. _

**That’s extortion kid. Who raised you?**

_ You did. _

**Point taken. Get home safe bambino.**

Peter sighed and started walking. His mind was on a million other things. He was thinking about Ben and his call with Lila and Liz being so nice to him and having to get home on his own. He would’ve been in his own world.

If it weren’t for the screaming.

His head whipped around, trying to find the source of it. He paused. He couldn't do this. He couldn’t swoop in and try and save the day. But then he heard the scream again. He went running towards the scream. He made it to an alleyway, his heart beating fast. He looked in to see who was there.

There was a family; a father, a mother, and a child. The mother was holding the toddler, a little boy no older than five, and crying. The father had a clear look of fear in his eyes. One hand was up and the other was holding out his wallet.

“Just take it,” He said, his voice shaking. “Please. Please take it and leave us alone.” The person with the gun laughed. Peter could hear his heart beating in his ears. He had to do something. But his feet were frozen to the spot.

Then the child screamed.

That seemed to wake Peter up. He climbed onto the wall until he had the perfect vantage point. All he had to do was get the gun away. His hand shook as he held it up. He didn’t know if he could this.

_ I believe in you _ .

He could hear Ben’s voice clear as day. He pulled the hoodie and goggles over his face and eyes and shot at the man with the gun. The gun went skittering away, all four people looking surprised. He swung down and kicked the man back before webbing him against the wall.

“That’ll teach you to harass people,” Peter said. He turned towards the family, all staring at him wide-eyed. “Call the police. Get this clown arrested.” The man nodded, shakily taking out his phone.

“You’re him aren’t you?” The woman asked. “The spider guy?” Peter smirked, even though most of his face was covered.

“Spider-Man.” And then he shot a web and swung off. He found a safe place to watch over them. The family called the police and he watched them take him away, still wrapped up in his webbing. He uncovered his face and smiled slightly. He pulled out his phone and sent Lila a text.

_ Any chance you know how to sew? _ He typed out.  _ Gonna need something better than a hoodie. _ He waited for a response, a small smile on his face.

**For a hero? Sure. What did you have in mind?**

Peter smiled as he started typing. He had a lot in mind.

* * *

When he got home, a little while later, his dad and Rhodey were sitting in the kitchen. He had stuffed the hoodie and goggles back into his backpack as he exited the elevator. He walked towards them, a small smile on his face.

“Get lost on your way home?” Tony asked. Tony knew it took no more than an hour by public transportation to get from Midtown to the Tower. So why had it taken Peter so long?

“I stopped by the library to do homework,” Peter said, the lie rolling easily off his tongue. “Figured it would be proactive of me.”

“Text me that next time?” Tony asked. “Rhodey had to talk me out of tracking your cell phone.” Peter glanced at his uncle who nodded. Peter rolled his eyes and smirked.

“Dad I’m not a child,” Peter said. “I can get home safely on my own.” Tony gave his son a look who just smiled at him Tony sighed. Was this part of his son growing up? Was this Peter demanding for more independence?

“Perhaps.” Peter smiled.

“So pasta?” Tony chuckled and nodded. Peter sat down at the kitchen island next to Rhodey, who was now reading something on his phone. “Anything interesting Uncle Rhodey?”

“There’s this vigilante of sorts in Queens,” Rhodey said. Peter felt his heartbeat pick up. “Apparently saved a family from being mugged.” He shook his head and put his phone down. “Nat’s had some interest in this guy.” Peter fought back the urge to gulp. Lila had told him that and now Rhodey had confirmed. Would the Avengers come looking for him?

“Tell Nat to step down,” Tony said, placing two bowls in front of them. “This guy is totally small time. Muggings? Hardly superhero business.” Peter sighed internally.

“Yeah alright,” Rhodey said. Peter dug into his food a small smile on his face. Maybe he had to eventually worry about the Avengers coming to look for him. But for now everything was fine.

* * *

Tony sat in his lab later. He was watching some footage of the Queens vigilante. He was going by Spider-Man, which based on the webs and swinging, seemed appropriate. He also noticed that the person behind the name was fighting in a sweatshirt and goggles.

“FRIDAY, start a new file on my private server,” Tony said. He turned towards the table in the center of the room and pulled up a hologram. Someday, this Spider-Man might be useful to the team. And they certainly didn’t deserve to be running around in sometime so primitive.

“What would you like me to label it boss?”

“Spider-Man suit.” And then he got to work. Because whoever this was, they deserved something with a bit more technology and certainly something a lot safer.


	6. A Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey kiddo,” Tony said, walking in. He held up a brown box. “You got a package.” Peter smiled and got up from his desk. “Who’s sending you mail?”
> 
> “It’s a care package from Lila,”

Peter sat at his desk doing homework. He was trying to finish a chemistry lab, but was slightly confused (probably because he had been working on his web fluid in class and might have missed a few steps). There was a knock at his door and he sighed and put his pen down.

“You can come in dad,” He could hear his dad’s breathing from the other side of the door, perks of enhanced hearing. But it wasn’t that far of a guess since it was just them. Peter pushed down the hurt still in him from Pepper leaving. She had texted him after his uncle died and he hadn’t responded. He was mad at her. She had left, she didn’t get to comfort him.

“Hey kiddo,” Tony said, walking in. He held up a brown box. “You got a package.” Peter smiled and got up from his desk. “Who’s sending you mail?”

“It’s a care package from Lila,” Peter said. “She said she was going to send me something after everything with Ben.” Tony nodded and handed him the package.

“You and Barton’s kid keep in touch a lot,” Tony said surveying his son. Peter glanced at his dad and rolled his eyes.

“She’s my friend dad,” Peter said. “We both happen to know what it feels like to have dad with a penchant for saving the world.” Tony laughed a little.

“If you insist,” Tony said. He glanced at the desk. “Homework?” Peter nodded. “Well, take a break and come eat. I made your favorite.” Peter put the package down at hugged Tony.

“Thanks dad.” Tony smiled and kissed the top of his son’s head. “Do you really have to go on a week-long conference?” Tony sighed. He tried to avoid traveling much for SI business. Partially because he wondered if his son had ever really recovered from the Afghanistan incident and because he didn’t like being away from Peter. It was easier to avoid them when he could just talk Pepper into attending them without him. But they were on a break and asking that of her was presumptuous of him. He didn’t know where they stood. He hadn’t spoken to her since he told her about Ben’s death, which had been almost a month ago.

“That I do,” Tony said. “And besides, I think it’ll be good for you and May to spend some time together. I’m sure she’s missed you.” Now it was Peter’s time to sigh. He hadn’t spent much time in May’s apartment since Ben’s death. There was a part of him that still felt guilty. Maybe Ben’s death wasn’t his fault, but he could have done more. And every time he saw May, who was still reeling from losing her husband, it was hard. But he also loved his aunt and he knew she probably needed him now more than ever.

“You’re right.” Tony smiled and ruffled his hair. “Dad, stop!” Tony chuckled. “I work so hard on my hair.”

“Ah my son,” Tony said, with a smirk. “Check out your little care package and then come eat.” Peter nodded and then Tony left the room. Peter sat down on his bed and opened the package. He smiled widely and grabbed his phone.

“Mistress of sewing at your service,” Peter laughed when Lila answered. “I assume you got the package.”

“Lila it’s perfect,” Peter said, leaning the phone between his ear and his shoulder so he could inspect the clothing. “And the spider in the center? Nice touch.” Lila chuckled.

“Glad you liked it,” Lila said. “And that story of Spider-Man stopping another robbery has been trending. He’s Queens’ favorite hero.”

“He’s their only hero,” Peter pointed out. “And now he has a suit.”

“You going to take it for a spin tonight?” She asked. Peter sighed. Sneaking out of the Tower was impossible. FRIDAY was literally everywhere. And there were no windows he could get in or out of without FRIDAY knowing.

“No FRIDAY would snitch on me,” Peter said. “But I’m staying with my aunt for a week, starting tomorrow. So keep your eyes on the news for the next week. Might see something of your own design.”

“Good,” Lila said, and it sounded like she was smiling. “And I fully expect a selfie in the new get-up.” Peter chuckled. “Later Stark.”

“Bye Barton.” And then the call ended. He tucked the suit into his backpack and then, with a smile on his face, went to go grab dinner. As he headed down the hallway, he could hear his dad on the phone. He stopped walking and listened in.

“Ross is adamant about making some changes,” He could hear Rhodey’s voice, but he knew Rhodey was in DC. He peeked around the corner and saw his dad was on the phone.

“Very enhanced hearing,” He whispered to himself. “Good to know.”

“What’s Thaddeus Ross’s deal anyways?” Tony asked.

“He hates enhanced people and superheroes,” Rhodey said. “Has since all the stuff with the Hulk in Harlem years ago.” He heard his dad sigh. “I just want you to know that something could be coming.”

“Thanks Rhodey,” Tony said. He heard his dad sigh and Peter took that as a good sign to enter the room. “There you are bambino.” Peter smiled and sat down at the kitchen island. As his dad started to serve him dinner, Peter tried to ignore the small piece of panic rising up in him. Who was this Thaddeus Ross and why did he hate enhanced people? Peter decided to push past it. It sounded like things were fine, for now. So he ate his dinner in peace, trying not to worry about something that he hadn’t fully grasped yet.

* * *

Peter sighed as he walked up the stairs to the familiar Queens apartment. He hadn’t been inside the apartment since the night of Ben’s death. He pulled out his key and unlocked the door. He stepped inside and took a breath.

Immediately, he was flooded with memories of Ben. He remembered his first time coming to the apartment, Christmas when he was smaller than the couch. He remembered Ben sitting with him on the couch, waiting to hear news about Iron Man. He stepped a little further in, seeing all the pictures. There were pictures from Ben and May’s wedding day, Ben smiling bigger than Peter had ever seen, May grinning back at him. There were photos of Ben with Richard and photos of Ben and May and Richard and Mary, all smiling and laughing. There were even photos of Peter with Ben and May.

He missed Ben so much it hurt.

“Hi sweetie,” May stepped out of her room. She looked exhausted. Peter crossed the small apartment and hugged her. She held him tightly, a small sniffle coming from her. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t come by,” He said quietly. A small laugh came from May and she pulled away, pressing a kiss to Peter’s forehead.

“I know it’s hard sweetie,” May said. “But I appreciate you being here.” Peter nodded. He hugged her again and she relaxed into the hug. “Alright, enough of that.” She pulled away.

“I love you May.” She smiled.

“Right back at you, sweetie,” May said. “Now do your homework. No slacking just because you’re comforting me.” Peter nodded and headed to the kitchen table. “I have leftovers that my co-workers have been bringing over.”

“Sounds great,” Peter said, smiling at her. She ran a gentle hand through her hair and smiled at him. He knew he needed to be there for her more. He was it for her now. He was her family. That dream that he had, Ben had told him to look out for May. So he would do that. That was the least he could do for his aunt.

* * *

May had taken some time off from work and Peter hadn’t been sure when she was going back. As he found out later that evening, she had been back at work for about a week. And as Peter predicted, she was still working the night shift. So around 9:30, May kissed his forehead and left for work. He waited fifteen minutes before rushing off to get ready. He pulled on the suit Lila made for him and smiled.

“Good work Barton,” He said admiring the outfit. It had a red hooded sweatshirt, with the sleeves cut off. In the place of the red sleeves were blue long sleeves, that Peter had attached his web shooters and red leather gloves to. The pants were blue sweatpants that matched the blue sleeves. He admired the red leather boots she had supplied for him as well, wondering where his friend even managed to get those. He pulled the mask and goggles over his face and couldn’t help but smile.

He thought about taking a selfie then and there, but he’d get to that later. He pushed the window open and climbed out. As he began to swing, he snapped a quick photo. Because an action shot was way cooler. He landed on a nearby apartment building and quickly sent the photo.

_ Thanks for the suit! _ He tucked his phone away and began swinging, listening for signs of danger. He landed on a different roof, feeling his phone buzz.

**Sick shot. Don’t do anything crazy tonight.**

He smirked, putting his phone away. It was time to do some good.

* * *

The night had been going well. He had stopped a robbery at Delmar’s, which Mr. Delmar seemed relieved about (he mumbled something about not leaving his bat at home). He rescued another cat from a tree and stopped a carjacking. By the time it reached almost midnight, Peter knew he needed to get home. He was ready to swing home, a yawn covered by his mask.

Until he heard the scream.

The hair on his arms stood up and he went swinging towards the noise. He landed down on a badly lit street, most of the street lights having gone out. He knew that street. It was about a block from the hospital where his aunt worked.

“Just take our stuff and go!” He ducked behind a trash can and peeked over to see what was happening. He felt his chest tighten at the scene in front of them. There were two males, one with a gun and one with a knife. They were pointing their weapons at two females.

And one of them was May.

“That’s not all we want sweetheart,” One of them said, leering at May. Peter felt his breathing catch in his throat. He could not let this happen. Not again.

“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” He jumped over the trash can and towards the two men. They spun around to face him. The hairs on his neck stood up and he rolled out of the way as the one with the gun fired. He recovered and shot a web, pulling the gun away. The one with the knife ran at him and Peter dodged him and kicked his legs out from underneath him. He shot a few webs, attaching him to the road. He webbed the knife away, making sure it was in a pile the gun, webs covering it.

“Look out!” He heard May scream. He turned around and rolled out of the way as the other attacker came at him. He was grateful for his few self-defense sessions with Nat, but knew he definitely needed to train more. He jumped up and hit the attacker with the few punches he knew before shooting a web. The attacker dropped to the ground, clearly caught.

“Oh thank god,” May’s co-worker said. Peter turned towards them. “I’ll call the police.” She stepped off the side. Peter noticed that May was staring at him, a sad look on her face.

“I should go,” Peter said, trying to hide his voice. “Be safe, citizen.”

“Wait!” May said. Her voice then grew quiet. “You were there that night, weren’t you?” Peter fought back the guilt swarming in him. “There were webs like that in the alley, the night my…the night my husband died. You were there weren’t you.”

“He was a hero,” Peter said, trying to keep his voice deep, but feeling tears bubble up. “I’m sorry he died. He deserved to live a long life.” May sniffed, wiping a few tears away.

“Thank you for trying,” She said, her voice soft. “And thank you for saving me. My nephew,” Peter sucked in a breath. “He lost his uncle, I was afraid he would lose me too.” Peter nodded. “Thank you.” Peter shot a web and quickly swung off, knowing May was probably watching him go. He didn’t stop until he got back to the apartment. He pulled the suit off, exhaustion setting in. As he crashed into bed, he couldn’t stop hearing May’s voice.

_ Thank you _ . She wasn’t mad. She didn’t blame him for Ben’s death. Maybe a part of him would feel guilty about that for the rest of his life. But tonight proved something to him.

Spider-Man was a hero.


	7. The Compound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We’re going to the Compound, by the way. I have to meet with Rhodey about something and since it’s Friday, I figured you’d like to spend the weekend there.” Peter smiled and nodded.

“Dude.” Peter was sitting in practice for Academic Decathlon. Mr. Harrington was droning on about a meet they had in a few weeks. He turned towards Ned, who had an excited look on his face. “Did you hear?” The Spider-Man stopped a bank heist last night. That guy is crazy.” Peter smirked but shushed Ned. It had actually been pretty cool, stopping a bank heist. But he couldn’t tell Ned that. He had texted Lila about it, since she was the only person who knew his secret.

“Alright everyone,” Peter looked up, hearing Liz’s voice. He smiled a little. God she was so pretty. “This meet is important. Make sure to prepare. See you guys next week.” Everyone got up, talking quietly to themselves. “Peter, can I talk to you?” Ned’s eyes widened and Peter nodded wordlessly. He grabbed his bag and walked over to Liz.

“W-what’s up Liz?” He asked, trying to calm himself down. Something about Liz Allen always made him get so tongue tied. She smiled at him and the butterflies in his stomach kicked into high gear.

“So our meet next week,” Liz tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and Peter smiled a little. “I know Mr. Harrington said we don’t normally put freshman on the team, but you always get the physics questions right, so I think you should compete next week, instead of being an alternate.” Peter’s eyes widened. “Is that okay with you?”

“Y-yeah,” Peter said smiling brightly. Liz smiled as well, seeing how excited he was. “That’d be awesome.”

“Great,” Liz said. “So definitely study a bunch and if you need any help, let me know.” Peter nodded. He then turned and headed out of the library, his heart beating a million miles per hour. He was so happy. Nothing could pull him from that moment.

Except Flash.

“You think you’re so smart don’t you Penis?” Peter turned around to see Flash sneering at him. “Getting to be on the team. Liz is probably just doing it because she feels bad for you.”

“Or because he’s the best at physics Eugene,” Michelle walked into between the two boys. “You should use this wasted energy on studying.” Flash glared at her before walking away, muttering freak under his breath.

“Uh thanks,” Peter said, attempting a smile at Michelle. She shrugged and then walked away. He still had no clue what the curly haired girl’s deal was, but she seemed to stick up for him. And sit at his lunch table. Were they friends? He decided to question it another day as he headed outside of the building. He pulled his jacket tighter around him. For some reason, since the radioactive spider-bite, he was always much colder. It was February, so he was disturbingly cold at the moment. He saw a familiar Audi and trotted over to it.

“Hey Uncle Happy,” He said climbing in.

“What nothing for me squirt?” He smiled, surprised to see his dad sitting in the backseat.

“Well usually it’s only Uncle Happy in the car,” Peter said with a shrug. Tony chuckled and ruffled Peter’s hair. Happy rolled his eyes and started to drive. “It’s a nice surprise dad.”

“Good,” Tony said. “We’re going to the Compound, by the way. I have to meet with Rhodey about something and since it’s Friday, I figured you’d like to spend the weekend there.” Peter smiled and nodded. “Excellent. Now tell me about school.”

“I’m competing in the Decathlon meet next week!” Tony smiled and ruffled Peter’s hair again, earning a whine from Peter. Then, Peter talked excitedly at length about Decathlon for the first hour of the trip. After he had run out of things to say (Tony happening to notice that he kept mentioning someone named Liz and how he’d blush a little at the mention of her name), he stopped talking, content with watching the trees pass by out the window. The second half of the drive, Peter dozed off, his head against his father’s shoulder. Tony was more than content to let Peter use him as a pillow. He had been busy lately, so these moments were too few and far between for Tony’s liking. He wrapped his arm around Peter, pressing a kiss into his hair. Peter didn’t stir, just nuzzled closer to his dad, causing Tony to smile. Tony rested his chin on the top of Peter’s head, allowing him to just stay in that moment with his son.

* * *

When they got to the Compound, Tony had to go meet with Rhodey. So Peter dropped his backpack off in his room and then headed down to the training room. He smiled a little when he saw Nat.

“Hi Nat!” He said, jogging over to her. She smiled at him and fixed a stray hair.

“What are you doing down here?” Nat asked.

“Well last time I was here you said you’d show me more self-defense techniques,” Peter said. “I’ve been trying to learn them on my own, but you’re a way better teacher than YouTube.” Nat stared at him, a scrutinizing look on her face. 

“Is someone bullying you Peter?”

“What?” Peter asked, slightly offended by the question. “Why would you ask that?”

“You want me to teach you to fight,” Nat pointed out. “It isn’t too much of a leap to assume you might use it against someone, especially if they’re bothering you.” Peter hadn’t even considered that. In fact, he actually thought the opposite of that. It would be way too obvious that something had happened to him if all of sudden he was better in gym class than before. He was dorky Peter Stark. He also knew if he used his abilities to stand up to Flash, that he could actually hurt Flash. And as much as Flash annoyed him, Peter didn’t wish any harm on him. He sighed and shook his head.

“I just like spending time with you Nat,” Peter pointed out. “And you’re always here working out. I thought this was a cool way to hang out with you.” It was a lie; he wanted to be able to fight criminals if they came at him with a knife or a gun. But Nat obviously couldn’t know that. And Lila pointed out that if you wanted to convince Nat of anything, just act innocent. Natasha Romanoff was a lot of things, but she had a soft spot for sweet kids with puppy dog eyes.

“Well I’m sorry for thinking otherwise,” Nat said, a soft smile on her face. “But next time, you could just tell me you want to hang out.”

“I know,” Peter said, smiling at her. “But until then?” She chuckled and nodded. Peter wanted to jump and down in excitement, but just continued smiling. He couldn’t give Nat anymore ideas.

* * *

A few hours later, Peter was lying on the bed in his dad’s room. He had trained with Nat for most of the afternoon. He did have to hold his punches and make sure his strength wasn’t given away. Nat seemed to notice that he was stronger than last time, but not anything that caused her to ask questions. 

“What are you doing in here?” He sat up to see his dad walking in.

“Vision phased through the wall into my room,” Peter said. “Figured he wouldn’t do that to your room.” Tony chuckled and nodded. 

“I’ll talk to him about it bambino,” Tony said. He took of his sport jacket and disappeared into the closet. Peter sighed and laid back down. He was tired. Training with Nat was a lot of work. He understood now why she was so good at hand-to-hand combat. His eyes started to slowly drift shut, but they opened when he felt the bed sink down a little.

“Tired?” He glanced upwards at his dad, who had changed into an old T-shirt and sweat pants. Peter nodded. “Nat said she was teaching you self-defense. Any reason why?”

“Seemed like a fun way to spend time with Nat,” Peter said. “But I’m wiped.” Tony chuckled and ruffled Peter’s hair.

“You can stay in here if you want,” Tony said. “Bed’s pretty comfy.” Tony didn’t want to add that he didn’t sleep well when he was alone. He had gotten too used to the comfort of having Pepper there. He bit back a sigh. It had been four months since their decided “break” and it was starting to look more like a break-up. He wanted to call her and beg her to come back. But his head was still a mess from Ultron and she deserved better. 

“Dad?” Peter asked, moving so that he was leaning his back against the headboard. “Do you miss Pepper?” 

“Yep,” Tony said simply. “Every day.” Peter nodded and Tony glanced up from his StarkPad and at Peter. “Do you?” Peter shrugged.

“She left,” Peter said. “She left both of us and that upset me.” Tony nodded and sighed sadly. “I don’t blame you for that dad.”

“I appreciate that bambino,” Tony said. “She didn’t reach out when Ben died?” Peter flinched at little at the mention of Ben and Tony rubbed his back comfortingly.

“She sent me a text,” Peter said, with a sad sigh. “But I didn’t know how to answer it. Like what was I supposed to say ‘thanks for your condolences but they feel empty without you being here’?”

“You could call her,” Tony said, putting the StarkPad down. “She didn’t leave because of you.”

“But you’re my dad,” Peter said. “And when she left you, she left me too.” Tony pulled Peter closer and hugged him tightly. His son’s sense of loyalty wasn’t misplaced but it saddened him to see how to absence of Pepper was affecting Peter. He seemed to always have something on his mind. He spent more time in his room than he ever had. Tony kissed Peter’s forehead.

“I love you, bambino,” Tony said softly.

“I love you too dad,” Peter said. “No matter what.” Tony smiled. “Can we watch a movie?”

“Sure kiddo,” Tony said, running his hand gently through Peter’s hair. “You pick.” Peter smiled and rested his head against his dad’s shoulder as he instructed FRIDAY to put on a movie. Tony kissed his head again. It took less than fifteen minutes of the movie for Peter to doze off. Tony gently eased him down into a sleeping position. Tony glanced down at his son, watching him sleep.

He had been busy lately, but staring at his son now, he could tell something was different. He couldn’t put his finger on what, but he could tell something in his son had changed. Whether it was from starting high school or Pepper leaving, he wasn’t sure. But his son definitely seemed different. He knew that he needed to be more active in Peter’s life before his son changed anymore. But based on Rhodey’s conversation with him earlier, something was brewing. Something that was going to impact a lot of people. Tony sighed and ran a gentle hand through his son’s hair. 

He was going to figure out what changed in his son and just hoped whatever else was going on could wait.


	8. The Truth Comes Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter stood in the elevator, a groan escaping his lips. He had stayed out later than expected and it was a little after eight. He figured he was fine because his dad said he would be home at nine. His plan was to go right to bed, to hide the fact that he had a bruise under his eye and his lip was bleeding. He had learning that his enhanced abilities included faster healing time, so he was pretty sure the marks and bleeding would be gone by morning. All he had to do was get into bed. And with his dad not home, that should have been easy.
> 
> Oh how wrong he was.

Peter groaned as his alarm went off. He sat up slowly in his bed, knowing FRIDAY would start annoying him if he didn’t get up. He stretched a little, his muscles sore from stopping a burglary yesterday afternoon. Spider-Man was pretty popular in Queens, but it didn’t seem to stop petty crime.

“Peter,” He groaned as FRIDAY’s voice cut off his thoughts. “Your father says that if you do not come eat breakfast within the next fifteen minutes, then you will be late.”

“Yeah yeah I know,” Peter grumbled getting up. He went through his routine of getting ready, deciding on a pair of jeans, a T-shirt with a physics pun, and a sweatshirt over it. It was April and already starting to warm up. He grabbed his bag and then exited his room heading towards the kitchen.

“Listen Ross is serious about this,” He heard Rhodey’s voice as he approached the kitchen. “He’s going to get it ratified whether everyone listens or not.”

“We can talk about this after I get back from MIT alright?” Tony glanced up to see Peter entering the room. “Morning sleepyhead.” Peter sat down at the kitchen island, next to Rhodey.

“Morning my favorite nephew,” Rhodey said and Peter chuckled. Tony placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of Peter. 

“So I just wanted to remind you that I’m going to Massachusetts to speak at MIT,” Peter, who’s mouth was full of oatmeal, nodded. “I’ll be back probably around 9, so you don’t have to stay at your aunt’s.”

“What are you going to MIT for?” Peter asked taking another bite of oatmeal.

“Stark Industries created a grant for MIT students,” Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s called the September Foundation. Basically, it’s giving those geniuses a chance to create whatever they want.” Rhodey watched Tony carefully. There was something about his body language that didn’t seem too keen about the idea or the presentation.

“Cool,” Peter said. Tony nodded, though he wasn’t so sure. He had loved the idea when it first came up. But it had been Pepper’s idea. And six months being separated, plus this presentation, reminded him how much he missed her.

“So you’ll come home after school?” Tony asked.

“I have Robotics Club,” Peter said. “And then Ned and I were going to go to the library and do homework.” Tony nodded. In reality, Peter’s afternoon was clear. But he wanted to go out and be Spider-Man and this was the best way to do it. 

“Okay,” Tony said. “Well I have to go directly to the airport, so Happy will drive you to school. Better skedaddle or you’ll be late.” Peter nodded and got up grabbing his backpack. “See you later kiddo.”

“Bye dad, bye Uncle Rhodey,” Peter said, jogging off towards the elevator. As soon as he was gone, Rhodey turned towards Tony. 

“Are you okay?” Rhodey asked, glancing at Tony. 

“Never better,” Tony responded. “Care to visit the old stomping grounds with me? It’ll give you a chance to catch me up on all the Secretary Ross nonsense.” Rhodey rolled his eyes, but nodded. Perhaps he could get to the bottom of what was wrong with Tony then.

* * *

The school day flew by for Peter. He was excited to get out and be Spider-Man. When the bell rang for the end of the day, he excitedly began packing up his bag.

“So dude,” Ned said, getting his attention. “Want to come over to my house? I got the new Star Wars Lego kit.” Peter chuckled a little.

“Can’t sorry,” Peter said. “I have to help my dad with something. But maybe tomorrow?” Ned nodded and Peter exchanged their usual handshake before quickly exiting the classroom. He walked as quickly as he could down the hallway and out of the building. As soon as he out of the building, he took off running, a smile on his face. He ducked into an alley to change. He webbed his backpack to a nearby wall as he finished putting his suit on. He then climbed up the nearest building to survey the area.

He saw a car speeding down a small street. He was sure it would have been fine, but then he spotted the bus. It wasn’t moving, but there was no stop light. He listened closely and realized the bus had broken down. He glanced back down at the car, seeing that it was speeding towards the bus. He could hear people screaming in fright.

So he swung down, in between the car and the bus. He put his hands out as the car came speeding towards him. He could hear people screaming in fright. But he focused on the car and stopping it.

Which was what he did.

“Holy shit!” Someone shouted from inside the bus. The car bounced backwards off his hands and even the driver looked startled. Peter then shot a web, swinging out of there. He could hear voices from the bus growing distant, words of shock and awe. When he was far enough away and on top of a particularly tall building, he pulled his mask off. He let out a laugh and sat down on the roof.

He had just stopped a speeding car, with his bare hands.

He sat there for a while, the adrenaline still rushing through him. He needed to calm down before he went back out. He knew that adrenaline never led to smart decisions. So he waited for his body to calm down. He felt his phone start vibrating it. When he saw it was Lila, he answered. 

“Spider-Man just stopped a bus with his bare hands!” He chuckled. “That’s crazy.”

“I know right,” Peter said with a smile. 

“You are crazy strong,” Lila said. “God, that was a speeding car and you stopped it.” 

“I know I was there,” Peter said. “My heart is still beating fast. I’m taking a break until it calms down.”

“Smart idea,” Lila said. “What you’re doing is amazing Peter, truly and honestly.” Peter smiled and nodded his head, even though Lila couldn’t see.

“Thanks,” Peter said. “Suit’s great by the way.”

“Glad to help,” She said. “Now go back to making Queens a better place.”

“Bye Barton,” Peter said, a small smile on his face.

“Later Stark,” He chuckled and ended the call. He stayed on the rooftop, enjoying the feeling of success. Then once his heart rate slowed down and his phone was tucked safely away, he pulled his mask back on and swung back into action.

* * *

“It’s not your fault,” Rhodey and Tony were taking the elevator back up to the Tower. Tony was absolutely distraught over learning about Charlie Spencer.

“The hell it’s not Rhodes!” Tony said, slamming his hand against the elevator wall. “Sokovia happened because of me. I created Ultron. I caused that death and destruction.” Tony placed his hand against his chest, feeling the tell-tale signs of a panic attack 

“Okay deep breaths Tones,” Rhodey said, his voice gentle. Tony nodded and sucked in a breath. The elevator reached the penthouse and Rhodey guided Tony towards the couch. By the time Tony sat down, his chest was no longer constricting, his breath coming back to him. 

“God I feel awful,” Tony said quietly. 

“Then do something about it,” Rhodey said. “Don’t just mope over this kid’s death. Do something.” Rhodey sighed. “I sent you those documents from Secretary Ross. Read through them. It could help.” Tony sighed and nodded. Rhodey looked around the very empty penthouse. “Where’s Peter?” 

“Maybe his room?” Tony suggested. He hadn’t checked in with Peter all day. Mostly because the news of Charlie Spencer was filling him with immeasurable guilt. “FRIDAY, where’s Peter?”

“Peter is not currently in the Tower.” Tony’s eyes widened and he glanced at Rhodey. Rhodey could see the panic in Tony’s eyes.

“FRIDAY has Peter been home since this morning?” Rhodey asked cautiously.

“Negative Colonel Rhodes,” FRIDAY said. “Peter has not been in the Tower since 7:15 this morning.” Tony pulled out his phone and dialed Happy.

“Where the hell is my kid?” He uttered as soon as Happy answered. First, the mistake on the teleprompter, then the name Charlie Spencer hanging over his head, and now Peter was missing.

Tony was having the worst day possible. It couldn’t possibly get worse.

* * *

Peter stood in the elevator, a groan escaping his lips. He had stayed out later than expected and it was a little after eight. He figured he was fine because his dad said he would be home at nine. His plan was to go right to bed, to hide the fact that he had a bruise under his eye and his lip was bleeding. He had learning that his enhanced abilities included faster healing time, so he was pretty sure the marks and bleeding would be gone by morning. All he had to do was get into bed. And with his dad not home, that should have been easy.

Oh how wrong he was.

“Where the hell have you been?” Peter was greeted by the sight of his dad and Rhodey standing in the living room, both with panicked expressions on their faces. “I have been calling everyone. Happy, your aunt, Ned’s mother.” Tony stopped when he realized Peter’s face was hidden by the hood of his sweatshirt. He crossed the room to Peter, Peter taking a step back. “Peter.”

“S-sorry dad,” Peter said, trying to mask the panic in his voice. If his dad saw his face, he’d be in more trouble than he could fathom. “S-something came up.”

“Show me your face,” Tony said, trying to keep his voice steady. Peter shook his head. “Peter Benjamin Stark, show me your face now.” Peter shook his head and then Tony roughly pulled the hood back. He gasped when he saw Peter. The bruise under his eye was visible and the blood was still dripping from his lip. 

“Christ,” Rhodey muttered. Tony was about to say something when he noticed Peter’s backpack. Peter had dropped it when Tony had removed his hood. But it wasn’t fully closed and Tony saw a flash of red and blue. He grabbed the backpack. 

“No!” Peter shouted. But Tony opened the backpack. 

And pulled out his suit.

“What the hell is this?” Tony asked, holding it up. Peter stuttered to say something, but no words came out. “Answer me!” Peter shook his head, fear on his face. Tony threw the suit down in anger and walked towards the kitchen island. He felt his chest constricting and his heart beating faster.

“Peter,” Rhodey said cautiously. “What the hell is going on?” Tony huffed and stared at his son. Oh, he knew exactly what was happening.

“You’re him,” Tony said, staring between his son and the suit. “You’re the spider guy.” 

“Spider-Man,” Peter mumbled.

“Damn it Peter!” Tony said slamming his hand down onto the counter. Peter flinched at the sound. “What the hell were you thinking? Putting that crap on, putting yourself in danger?”

“You’ve been doing the same thing since I was seven years old!” Peter shouted, finally finding his voice.

“That doesn’t mean I wanted my fourteen-year-old son to do the same!” Tony yelled back. “You are a child wearing pajamas and a mask! You could have died out there!”

“You could have died hundreds of times and you were wearing a suit!” Peter said. “How can you stand there and tell me that when I have had to watch you nearly kill yourself for the last seven years?”

“I made a choice as an adult,” Tony said, his voice full of anger. “You are a child!”

“It’s my choice to make!”

“Like hell it is!” Tony couldn’t believe the words coming out of his son’s mouth. Peter was putting himself in danger. He was wearing a suit that was flimsy at best. He had seen the reports about Spider-Man, the Queens crime-fighter who would put his life on the line to stop any bad deeds in Queens. The had been a news report about Spider-Man saving a bus full of people that day by stopping a car with his hands. And that person was his son. His son, his baby. The thought of that alone made Tony’s blood boil. How could his son be so reckless?

“Peter,” Rhodey said, attempting to keep his voice calm and even. “This wasn’t a smart idea. You can’t do this.”

“Yeah because he’s grounded for the rest of this life,” Tony growled out. “School and the Tower. That’s it.”

“You can’t,” Peter started. And then he saw the angry glare in his father’s eyes.

“I’m your father,” Tony said, his voice still full of rage. “I can and I did.” Peter’s eyes welled up with tears. He just wanted his father to understand, to listen. “Go to your room. Now.” Peter started to walk towards his room. “I’m so disappointed in you Peter.” Peter slammed his lips tightly together, holding back the sob bubbling up in his throat. He walked towards his room. Once he was in the safety of his room, he locked the door and let out the sob. He collapsed onto his bed. 

He had wanted to help those in need. He had wanted to do good. And now, he was never going to get the chance to do that.

* * *

Tony collapsed down onto the couch, holding his head in his hands. His son was fighting crime in Queens. His son was putting his life on the line almost daily. This was his fault. He had set a poor example. He had put the thought into Peter’s head to do this.

“Whatever you’re thinking stop,” Tony looked up at Rhodey. “That.” He pointed to the crumpled suit on the ground. “Is not your fault.”

“I let him think it was okay,” Tony said. “I’ve been Iron Man for almost eight years. I let my son think that this life was okay. I don’t even want this life anymore Rhodey.” 

“I know,” Rhodey said. Tony covered his face as a sob ripped through his throat. 

“He could’ve died,” Tony whispered. “My son. My kid. My little boy. He could’ve died.” Rhodey, not knowing what else to do, just reached out and hugged Tony. And Tony cried, because his son was doing the unthinkable and it filled Tony with guilt to think that it was his fault. That he had set that example.


	9. A Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Your father is requesting your presence in the living room.” FRIDAY’s voice cut into his thoughts. Peter sighed, not wanting to move. He didn’t want to have this conversation because he knew his father wouldn’t listen. “He says if you do not get up and join him, he will have to get you on his own.”
> 
> “Like he could,” Peter grumbled.

Peter sat up slowly in his bed the next morning. He let out a groan as his head beat from a migraine. Then everything came rushing back to him. The fight from last night, his dad finding the suit, his dad grounding him. Peter let his head crash against the pillow, a small cry coming out of his mouth.

He’d never be Spider-Man again.

He had never seen his father so angry, at least not at him. But he could still see the rage in his father’s eyes, could still hear him yelling at him. He picked up his phone and stared at the time. It was 8 AM. He sighed. Clearly part of being grounded was being literally stuck in the Tower. He touched his eye, the skin still tender. Or maybe his dad just didn’t want him going to school looking like he had been in a fight.

“Your father is requesting your presence in the living room.” FRIDAY’s voice cut into his thoughts. Peter sighed, not wanting to move. He didn’t want to have this conversation because he knew his father wouldn’t listen. “He says if you do not get up and join him, he will have to get you on his own.”

“Like he could,” Peter grumbled. But he got out of bed. He pulled a sweatshirt on, balling the sleeves around his fists. Then he sighed, knowing he had no other option.

He was not looking forward to the conversation.

* * *

Tony hadn’t slept. Every time he closed his eyes, he kept seeing his son putting his own life at risk and getting hurt. It made Tony sick to think of what Peter had been doing. So he stayed in the lab. He tried to work, but he couldn’t.

“FRIDAY pull up all known footage of Spider-Man.” And he began watching. Because this wasn’t some new superhero. It was his son. His son who was somehow able to stop a car, climb buildings, and shoot webs. When had all of this started? Was he doing this all on his own or had he built something? Tony had stayed up all night watching footage and running through possible answers in his brain. But none came to him.

He’d have to talk to Peter about it. Even if he was still furious with his son.

* * *

Peter dragged himself into the living room where Tony was waiting. He sat down on the couch, opposite from where Tony was. The need for distance was clear.

“We need to talk about it,” Tony said simply.

“Why so you can yell at me again?” Peter asked. “So you can judge my choices without even listening to me?”

“You are my son,” Tony said, his voice raising. “It is my job to protect you, to keep you safe.” His hand started to shake. He ran his shaking hand across his chest, feeling the familiar tightness. He thought about his parents, about Obadiah betraying him, nearly destroying the team, Pepper leaving him.

“Dad?” Peter asked, concern on his face. He could tell something was wrong. His dad’s eyes were wider than before and he seemed to be struggling to breathe.

“I can’t lose you too bambino,” Tony said. Instantly, Peter was across the couch, hugging his father. For as upset as he was at his dad, he hadn’t considered what his choices had done to his dad. Tony hugged him close, feeling the tightening in his chest reduce. Tony fought back the feeling of tears in his eyes. He was supposed to be the strong one. He was supposed to be the protector.

Peter felt horrible. He had been so excited to use his abilities and do some good, that he didn’t consider the obvious problem. He didn’t consider that his dad would be terrified of what he was doing. Wasn’t he always scared when his dad took off to be Iron Man? Sure, he wanted to be like his dad and he wanted to a hero. But that didn’t mean his father was comfortable with what he was doing. He glanced up at his dad, tears in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think,” He bit his lip, fighting back the sob in his throat. Tony nodded and kissed the top of Peter’s head. Peter sniffed a little. Tony let him go but Peter was still squished next to him.

“Let’s just talk about all of this okay,” Tony said gently and Peter nodded. “The stuff you can do, is that you or the suit?”

“Me,” Peter said. Tony widened his eyes. “Do you remember when I went to Oscorp? And then I got really sick afterwards? It started after that.” Tony sighed. That had been six months ago. How had he missed this?

“How did this happen from going to Oscorp?” Tony asked, trying to fight down the overwhelming sense of guilt.

“I sort of snuck off to a restricted room,” Peter said a sheepish look on his face. “And then I got bit by this spider. I guess they were experimenting on them because the day after I was sick, I had all these abilities.”

“That was reckless of you,” Tony pointed out and Peter nodded, a sheepish look on his face. Tony sighed. Clearly his son was inheriting more and more of his personality traits. “So what can you do?”

“I can stick to things,” Peter said. He picked up his dad’s StarkPad and then flipped his hand over. Tony stared at the StarkPad stayed on his hand. Peter then turned his hand back over and put the StarkPad down. “So I can climb on things because of it. I also can hear things, like a lot things, no matter how far away they are. Sometimes it really bugs me, because like my senses get overloaded and everything feels like it’s dialed up to 11.” Tony nodded. He remembered when Peter was sick, he had complained that everything was too loud and too bright.

“What else?” Tony said. “You have some sort of healing. I mean your eye should be black and blue and it’s yellowing, which means the bruise is healing faster.”

“Yeah I guess so,” Peter said. “I don’t really know how it all works. I’m also really strong now, which is weird.”

“You stopped a car with your bare hands,” Tony said, flinching a little. “It was going thirty miles an hour. That thing had to weigh three thousand pounds.” Peter shrugged. Tony sighed and chuckled a little. “God that’s all crazy bambino. But what about the webs?”

“I made them,” Peter said. “In chemistry lab. Along with the shooters. You actually kind of helped me with those.”

“There was no battlebot huh?” Tony asked, remembering that project that Peter had been working on. Peter shook his head. “I got to tell you kiddo, it’s concerning to me how much you’ve been lying lately.”

“I knew you’d freak out,” Peter said quietly. “And I wanted to do some good. I had to.” Tony stared at his son, seeing him in a new light.

“Why?” Tony asked simply.

“Ben,” Peter said, his voice quivering. “I was there...I was there the night he was killed.”

“Oh bambino,” Tony whispered. He pulled Peter closer to him. Peter hid his face in Tony’s shoulder, trying to hide the fact that he was crying. He could still hear the gunshots from that night. He could still see Ben, on the ground bleeding out. Tony rubbed soothing circles on Peter’s back as he cried.

“So I had to,” Peter said, pulling away. “I had to because of Ben and people who think that doing that kind of stuff is okay. I had to dad.” Tony sighed and wrapped his arm around Peter’s shoulder. Peter leaned against him, sniffling a little.

“This stuff,” Tony started, trying to find the right words. “It’s dangerous. And whether or not you have these abilities, you can still get hurt. Especially running around in a onesie.”

“It’s not a onesie,” Peter said, his ears burning in embarrassment.

“Where’d you even get that thing?” Tony asked, wrinkling his nose, thinking about Peter’s suit. Peter glanced down at his feet. How was he supposed to tell his dad that he trusted someone else with his secret? “Peter?” Peter mumbled something under his breath. “You’re going to have to speak up bambino.”

“Lila made it for me,” Tony’s eyes widened.

“So you told Clint’s kid and not me?” Peter nodded and Tony sighed. “Peter.”

“I needed to tell someone who wouldn’t freak out,” Peter said, clearly ashamed with his decision. “And she’s hundreds of miles away!” Tony sighed. “I just wanted to do some good in the world.”

“Peter you’re fourteen,” Tony said. “Your focus should be high school and clubs and your friends. Not swinging around Queens in a onesie made by your friend.”

“I have these abilities for a reason,” Peter said, glancing down at his hands. “I got bit by that spider for a reason dad, I just know it.” Tony hugged Peter closely. Peter was the most precious thing in the world to him. As much as he knew his son’s heart was in the right place, he couldn’t let his child do this.

“Peter,” Tony started, pulling away. Peter frowned. No matter what he had said, it was clear his dad’s decision was standing. But before he could say anything his phone started to ringing. He sighed and looked at the caller ID. It was Rhodey.

“It’s fine,” Peter said quietly. “I’m going to go to my room.” Tony kissed his son’s forehead before Peter left the couch. He fought down the urge to listen in on the conversation as he moved down the hallway towards his room. He sat down on his bed and sighed. He had wanted to make a difference, but that seemed unlikely now. He laid back on the bed, fighting the urge to cry. After a few minutes, he heard the door open and felt his dad sit down on the bed.

“We’re going to need to table this conversation,” Tony said. Peter sat up slowly, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “I need to deal with something and it’s going to take a few days. But as soon as I get back, we’re having a very long conversation about all of this.” Peter nodded, his eyes teary. “Happy’s going to bring you to May’s. And I’m keeping the suit.” He sighed and pulled Peter closer. Peter rested his head on his dad’s shoulder. “Please don’t do anything reckless while I’m gone.” Peter sniffed, but nodded. Tony kissed the top of his head

“I’m sorry,” Peter said, for what felt like the millionth time. Maybe what he did was reckless. But it also felt right to him.

“I love you bambino,” Tony said, looking down at Peter. Peter looked up at him and Tony smiled a little. His son had led him to a near panic attack and was probably greying a few of his hairs. But even his reckless behavior couldn’t make Tony love him any less.

“I love you too.” The father and son sat there for a while, Peter leaning against his dad, Tony holding on to Peter tightly, until Tony had to leave. Peter sighed, knowing things weren’t resolved but that things were okay.

For now.


	10. Needing Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The Avengers need some help,” Tony said. “And for some reason, I seem to believe Spider-Man can provide that help.”

The Accords weren’t an amazing idea. They felt very big brother-y to Tony at first. He hated listening to Secretary Ross talk about it. He knew Ross hated anyone with Powers and had since 2008 and his run-ins with Bruce’s angry half. But listening to Rhodey, thinking about Sokovia and innocent lives like Charlie Spencer, Tony knew he was right.

Not everyone else seemed to agree.

Steve was unwilling to listen. He was unwilling to make compromises. He seemed to be hiding behind the idea of protecting Wanda, but Tony knew Vision would have put his own life down to protect Wanda. He knew the android was sweet on her and it seemed, from what Tony had witnessed, that Wanda didn’t mind the attention. But Wanda’s loyalties seemed to lie with Steve and Sam, who both didn’t agree with the Accords. But she hadn’t been in Berlin when it all went to hell. When Steve’s old war buddy showed up and murdered the King of Wakanda. Tony knew that pain, the pain of losing a parent, and it was clear Prince T’Challa wasn’t taking it well. Nat was worried he would go after Barnes on his own.

Especially now that Barnes had escaped and Steve and Sam had gone after him. He knew Steve was biased towards his childhood best friend, knew he’d do something stupid.

So Tony had to take preventative actions.

He asked Vision to keep an eye on Wanda and locked the Compound down. Only the team, sans Wanda, could get in and out. But he still had Secretary Ross to deal with. Who was, at the moment, ragging on him and Nat (who Tony was still surprised actually agreed with him).

“I don't suppose you have any idea where they are?” Ross asked, his crude voice interrupting Tony’s thoughts. Tony bit back a sigh.

“We will,” He began, leaning back in his chair. “GSG-9's got the borders covered. Recon's flying 24/7. They'll get a hit. We'll handle it.”

“You don't get it, Stark,” Ross said, fixing him with a tough look. Tony tried not to smirk, thinking about how this man was known as Thunderbolt. Maybe in his heyday he was scary. Now, he just annoyed Tony. “It's not yours to handle. It's clear you can't be objective. I'm putting Special Ops on this.” Tony rolled his eyes and Nat stepped in.

“What happens when the shooting starts?” She questioned, leveling Ross with a calm look.” What, do you kill Steve Rogers?”

“If we're provoked.” Nat glared at him as he spoke. “Barnes would've been eliminated in Romania if it wasn't for Rogers. There are dead people who would be alive now. Feel free to check my math.” Nat glanced at Tony, as if asking him to reason with Ross before she took matters into her own hands.

“All due respect, you're not going to solve this with boys in bullets, Ross. You gotta let us bring them in.”

“How would that end any differently from the last time?” Ross said, doubtful of Tony’s idea.

“Because this time, I won't be wearing loafers and a silk shirt,” Tony said. He’d put on the suit. It was a necessary step. “72 hours, guaranteed.”

“36 hours.” Ross countered “Barnes. Rogers. Wilson.” Tony glanced at Nat who nodded, agreeing to the terms.

“Thank you, sir.” And then Ross left. Tony let out a long sigh and leaned forward in his seat. He rubbed his chest, in the spot where the arc reactor used to sit. It’s strange how the tightness in his chest seems to always begin right where the arc reactor once was. It was as if it stemmed all of his stress and anxiety. But then again, none of this would be happening if he hadn’t become Iron Man. Then he felt Nat’s hand on his shoulder. “My left arm is numb, is that normal?”

“You alright?” She asked. Her voice was soft and gentle, like it was whenever she spoke to Peter.

“Always,” He said, attempting a smile, even though it hurt his bruised. Damn Barnes and his super soldier arm. “36 hours, jeez.” Nat nodded and sighed.

“We're seriously understaffed.”

“Oh, yeah. It'd be great if we had a Hulk right about now. Any shot?” He felt sad thinking about Bruce. No one had seen him since the Ultron incident. A part of Tony was fearful that he was gone forever, or worse, dead.

“No.” There was a sadness to her voice. “You really think he'd be on our side?” Tony sighed. Ross hated The Hulk with a passion. Bruce would have never signed the accords.

“No.” His tone full of finality and a little sadness. Nat glanced around the room, staring wistfully out the window. Then she turned back to Tony.

“I have an idea.” Tony nodded. He knew where her head was at. They needed people. Steve had Wilson and likely Barnes. They’d need more to bring them in.

“Me too.” Maybe it wasn’t the best choice, but they needed more people besides the two of them. He knew he could get Rhodey. Vision would likely be on board. He wondered briefly if Nat would involve Prince T’Challa. He certainly wanted Barnes brought to justice. But was that enough? Or did they need one more. “Where's yours?”

“Downstairs. Where's yours?” Tony sighed and attempted a smile. He knew exactly where to find one more person to join this team. He just didn’t know if it was a good idea.

* * *

Peter sighed as he walked towards the apartment building in Queens. It had been almost a week since his conversation with his dad. He wasn’t closely tracking the news, but it was clear that something was going on that was keeping his dad busy. Peter didn’t know how to feel about it. On the one hand, he was scared for his dad. But on the other, he had literally jumped in front of a bus to stop a car. Thinking about all of that just made his head spin. As he reached the building, he spotted a familiar looking Audi. He stared at it before heading inside, quickly going upstairs.

“Hey May!” He called entering the apartment.

“How was school today?” May called back as Peter walked further into the apartment. It sounded like she was sitting on the couch.

“Good,” Peter said, moving towards the living room. “Was that my dad’s car out….” He stopped when he spotted his dad sitting on the couch. May smirked and nodded.

“Hey kiddo,” Tony said. Peter felt himself sigh in relief seeing his dad. But then he realized what his dad being home meant. They would need to have a conversation about Spider-Man.

“Y-you’re back,” Peter said and Tony nodded. “Cool.” Tony nodded and stood up.

“Excellent date loaf,” Tony said, nodding to the plate. “Thanks for the hospitality, but I’ll be taking the teenager off your hands.”

“Don’t be a stranger,” May said. She walked over and gave Peter a hug. “You too sweetie.” Peter nodded. Then, he and his dad left the building. They got into the Audi, Peter realizing that Happy was in the front.

“Airport Hap,” Tony said. Then he closed the privacy screen, so it was just the two of them.

“What’s going on dad?” Peter asked, staring at his dad curiously. Tony pulled out his phone and pulled up a video of Spider-Man. It was the video of him stopping the car.

“Nice catch,” Tony said. “3,000 pounds, 40 miles an hour. That's not easy. You got mad skills.” Peter chuckled awkwardly, still unsure of what was going on. “So you want to be this Spiderling...crime-fighting spider.” He looked his son up and down. “Spider boy.”

“Spider-Man,” Peter said, crossing his arms over his chest in a petulant manner.

“Not in a onesie made by Lila Barton,” Tony said with a snort. Peter gave his father a look. Where was he going with all of this? Tony sighed. He didn’t want to do this, but they needed all the super-powered people they could get. And his son happened to be one of them. “You're in dire need of an upgrade. Systemic, top to bottom. 100-point restoration.”

“An upgrade?” Peter asked. “Like a real suit?” Tony sighed and looked at his son. He looked different, like his experiences over the last six months had changed him.

“Why Peter?” Tony began.

“Because,” Peter looked down at his hands. “Because I've been me, ordinary Peter Stark my whole life, and I've had these powers for 6 months.”

“My son is anything but ordinary, but continue,” Tony said and Peter attempted a smile.

“When you can do the things that I can, but you don't,” His eyes teared up, thinking back to the night Ben died. Tony reached out and pulled his son closer. “And then the bad things happen… they happen because of you.” Tony fought down a sigh. It was much more noble than when he first became Iron Man. How had his son become such a good person when Tony had made rotten choices for so many years?

“So you wanna look out for the little guy,” Tony began and Peter nodded. “You wanna do your part? Make the world a better place, all that, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah just looking out… for the little guy. That's-That's what it is.” Tony felt the car come to a stop and he knew they were at the airport. “Dad, what’s going on?”

“The Avengers need some help,” Tony said. “And for some reason, I seem to believe Spider-Man can provide that help.” Peter’s eyes widened.

“You,” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You want me to help the Avengers?”

“Want and need are two different things kiddo,” Tony said. He opened the door and got out. He spotted Rhodey waiting by the private jet. Peter scurried out after him. Rhodey spotted Peter and gave Tony a look.

“You sure about this Tones?” Rhodey asked. He liked the idea of Peter fighting crime about as much as Tony did. But they were in a tough spot. And Rhodey had done his own research. Spider-Man had a pretty good record of bringing the bad guys to justice. It made Rhodey both proud and anxious because it was his favorite nephew after all.

“We need all the help we can get,” Tony said as Peter reached his side. “We’ll clue you in on the plane kiddo. And Happy knows by the way. But we’ll keep your identity to just us, okay?” Peter nodded. “Rhodey give us a moment.” Rhodey went onto the plane, followed by Happy. “I know this all seems crazy and weird, but I’m out of options.”

“You’re letting me be Spider-Man,” Peter said, staring wide-eyed at his dad. “W-why?”

“You want to make the world a better place?” Tony asked and Peter nodded. “Then this is how you start. You help me and Rhodey. You do exactly what we say and try not to get yourself into too much trouble, okay?” Peter nodded.

“You have my suit?” He asked.

“I left the onesie at home,” Tony said. “Like I said, you needed an upgrade.” Without thinking, Peter wrapped his arms around his dad, hugging him tightly. “Jeez squirt, you are strong.”

“Sorry!” Peter said, letting go of him. Tony chuckled and ruffled his hair. “I promise I’ll do exactly what you say.”

“Good,” Tony said. Part of him was anxious about this whole ordeal. But if his son wanted to be a hero, maybe this was a better way of handling it. It was certainly the legacy he seemed to be leaving. “Alright kiddo, let’s go.” They got onto the plane and Tony sighed.

Everything would be fine. It had to be.


	11. Airport Battle (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter fidgeted with excitement on the plane. He couldn’t believe that he was actually going to fight alongside his dad and his uncle. That thought to him alone was crazy.

Peter fidgeted with excitement on the plane. He couldn’t believe that he was actually going to fight alongside his dad and his uncle. That thought to him alone was crazy.

“Dad?” Tony was frowning at something on his StarkPad. “Who else is going to be, you know, on our side?” Tony sighed.

“Vision will be there,” He said, putting his StarkPad down. “A little worse for wear, but he’ll be there. Prince T’Challa of Wakanda. He’s known as the Black Panther, so just call him that. And Nat.” Peter’s eyes widened.

“Dad she’s a spy,” Peter said. “She’ll know it’s me the minute I open my mouth!” Tony smirked and Rhodey rolled his eyes.

“Then don’t open your mouth,” Rhodey said.

“This is my kid we’re talking about,” Tony pointed out. Peter huffed in frustration and Tony chuckled. He then got up and disappeared into a separate room.

“So nephew of mine,” Rhodey said. “We’re going to talk strategy since I am the only here with trained military expertise.” Peter nodded. “You stay back unless we tell you otherwise. You stay down unless we tell you otherwise. You call your dad Mr. Stark or Iron Man. Same with me, Colonel Rhodes or War Machine. We can’t have anyone knowing it’s you. Got it?” Peter nodded.

“Anything else?” Peter asked, gulping a little. Rhodey sighed and moved so he was sitting next to Peter.

“Use your head, not your heart,” Rhodey said. “You’re my favorite nephew, can’t have you getting hurt.”

“I’m your only nephew.”

“Exactly why you can’t get hurt,” Rhodey pointed out. He reached over and ruffled Peter’s hair. “Be smart kiddo and do exactly what we say.” Tony came back out, holding a silver briefcase. He put it down and nodded to Peter.

“Open it.” Peter leaned forward and pushed a small button. The suitcase opened slowly, revealing the most incredible this Peter had ever seen.

“Is this?” He asked, his eyes wide with excitement and disbelief.

“You needed an upgrade,” Tony said. “I kept the color scheme. I appreciate the use of red. But you should have used gold instead of blue.” Peter rolled his eyes before getting up and hugging his dad.

“It’s amazing!” Peter said. He released his dad, as a thought occurred to him. “How did you make it so fast?”

“I’ve been working on this for a while,” Tony said. Peter looked confused. His dad only found out about his secret less than a week ago. How had he made it so quickly? “Once Spider-Man burst onto the scene with his onesie.”

“Not a onesie,” Peter mumbled and Tony gave him a pointed look. “It’s not.”

“I figured he might’ve needed a better suit,” Tony said. “So I’ve been working on it for a while. I guess it’s a good thing too.” Peter hugged his dad again and Tony smiled. He was still nervous about the idea of Peter fighting alongside of them. But if he stuck to the plan and did exactly what he and Rhodey said, then everything would be fine.

* * *

Peter waited in his spot, trying to sneak a peek at what was happening. He was meant to stay hidden until his dad called. He watched as his dad and Rhodey approached Steve, Sam, and some other guy with long brown hair. From what his dad had told him, the guy’s name was Bucky Barnes. He was an old friend of Steve’s who had caused a lot of trouble. It was why he had to be brought in. Steve and Sam had to as well because they helped him.

“Underoos!” He heard his dad shout.

“That’s my cue,” He said to himself. He shot a web at Steve’s shield, pulling it with him. He shot another web at Steve’s hands, binding them together. And then he landed above where his dad and Rhodey were standing.

“Nice job kid,” Tony said, glancing at Peter. He had to keep his face even, but seeing his son in action was pretty impressive.

“Thanks!” He said. Standing there, in his suit in front of some of the team, he started to get nervous. And when he got nervous, he rambled. “I could've stuck the landing a little better. It's just the new suit…” Peter was rambling and Tony was trying to cut him off, without it being obvious that this rambling superhero was his son. “Well, it's nothing, d-Mr. Stark. It's-It's perfect. Thank you.” It was weird calling his dad anything but dad, but he had to keep his identity a secret.

“Yeah we don’t really need to start a conversation,” Tony said, trying to play it cool. But with Peter talking too much, someone was going to figure it out. Nat was already staring at his with a scrutinizing look.

“Hey everyone,” Peter said, awkwardly giving them a wave. Tony just shook his head and turned towards Steve. Peter watched, holding onto the shield. This was going to be easy right? They had Cap’s shield, so everyone was just going to calmly follow, right?

So, so wrong.

* * *

Peter had been startled when the shield was knocked out of his hands and even more so when the thing behind it grew to human size. His mind was full of how that technology was even possible. His dad, Rhodey, Nat, and Prince T’Challa were all splitting off, trying to stop those helping Cap.

“Da-Mr. Stark, what do you want me to do?” Peter asked, not wanting to feel useless.

“What we discussed,” Tony said. “Keep your distance, web ‘em up.” That was the plan for Peter. Stay out of harm's way and certainly do not engage in any combat. He didn’t think his heart could take that.

“Okay, copy that!” And then Peter was off, towards the hangar. He could see Sam and Cap’s friend Bucky running through the terminal. With no other entrance, he was going to have to make his own. So he swung through the glass, it shattering all around him. He kicked Sam backwards and jumped back as Bucky ran towards him. He threw a punch and Peter blocked it.

“You have a metal arm?” Bucky stared wide-eyed as Peter held his fist back. “That is awesome dude!” He wasn’t paying attention, or he might’ve blocked the hit from Sam. But Sam sent him reeling backwards. Then they both took off, Sam in the air and Bucky on the ground. Peter picked himself up and went swinging after them. Sam was firing at him, Peter just able to swing out of the way. Bucky chucked something at him, a metal sign Peter supposed. “Hey buddy I think you lost something!” He threw the sign back, causing Bucky to duck. Sam flew at him again, but Peter swung out of the way. He shot a web at Sam’s wings, sending him down to the ground. As Sam tried to recover, Peter webbed his hands to a nearby wall.

“Those wings carbon fiber?” He asked Sam from his perch. Sam made a face and Peter wondered if he was trying to place his voice. Of everyone on the team, Sam spent the least time with him, so it was unlikely.

“Is that stuff coming out of you?” Sam countered and Peter bit back a snort. Why did everyone think he was making the webs?

“That would explain the rigid-flexibility-ratio,” Peter said, going back to his original thought. “Which gotta say, that’s awesome man.” Even with his goggles on, he could see Sam roll his eyes.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a fight before,” Sam started, glaring at him. “But there’s usually not this much talking.”

“Alright sorry,” Peter said, though he was smirking. It was kind of fun annoying Sam while also beating him. He swung towards Sam, but noticed Bucky running towards him. He swung up higher, Bucky crashing into Sam, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Peter webbed Bucky’s arm to the floor and more of Sam’s wings. He could hear the two groaning from the ground.

“Guys, look,” Peter said, finding a safe place to land above them. “I'd love to keep this up but I've only got one job here today and I gotta impress Mr. Stark, so, I’m really sorry.” He was about to shoot another web at him, when a small drone attached to his arm. He let out a yell as it dragged him out of the hangar. He got himself loose, dropping not so gracefully to the ground.

“Not as smooth as I’d have liked,” Peter mumbled before swinging off to find his dad.

* * *

Things were not going according to plan, of that Tony knew for certain. He just wanted to bring them in. But then Sam and Bucky were knocking his kid around. And Wanda and Clint dumped a bunch of cars on him. And Rhodey nearly got blown up by the guy who could shrink himself.

There was only one play left. They’d have to fight them, full-on, no holding back.

He gave Nat a lift over to where Vision was, who was trying to talk some sense into Cap’s side. Rhodey flew over, giving T’Challa a bit of a lift as well. And then Peter swung in. Tony stared at the others, those on Cap’s side. He wished Clint had stayed home, wondering if this was going to hurt Peter’s friendship with Lila. He wished Wanda had just stayed safe, instead of getting mixed up in all of this. And he wished that Cap would, just once, listen to him. But Cap always had to rush in head-first without thinking. And look where they all were now.

He knew it was going to come down to a fight as Cap lead his side towards them.

“This is going to end well,” Nat said. Tony started moving towards them, those on his side following. He didn’t want this to get physical. Not with Peter here. But then the others were running.

“They’re not stopping,” Peter said and he could hear a slight hint of panic in his son’s voice. He felt his chest constrict, but he forced that away. He had to focus.

“Neither are we.” And then he was fighting Cap, titanium alloy striking vibranium. He threw as many punches as he could, knowing Cap was the superior fighter and was probably stronger. But he got angrier when he saw Peter dodging metal objects being thrown by Wanda. And then he was in the air, flying after Sam, trying to give Rhodey a hand.

God, this was a mess.

* * *

After narrowly avoiding being hit with a car by Wanda, Peter was trying to swing away. His dad said to avoid the conflict and he knew the rest of the team was stronger than him. But as he was swinging, he saw Cap’s shield come flying towards him. It sliced through the web and it took every fiber of balance for Peter to land properly

“That thing does not obey the laws of physics,” He huffed, watching as the shield returned to Cap. He always wondered how that worked. Was it like a boomerang of some sort?

“Listen kid,” Peter rolled his eyes, hearing Cap’s authoritative voice. “There’s a lot going on here that you don’t understand.”

“Mr. Stark said you’d say that,” Peter said, before shooting a web at Cap’s shield. His eyes darted down, trying to hold onto the shield. While he was distracted, Peter shot a web at Cap’s ankle. He pulled him towards him and then swung towards Cap, kicking him in the face and sending him backwards. He was surprised that he was able to kick him that hard. Was he stronger than Captain America? He smiled with glee. “He also said to go for your legs!” He saw Cap jump up, trying to retrieve his shield. He webbed both of Cap’s arms, Cap’s back facing towards him.

Which was what led him to being flipped around by Captain America and sent flying into the wheel of a plane. He recovered quickly shooting a web back at the shield. Cap grabbed a hold of the web and pulled Peter towards him. Peter fought back a yelp of pain as Cap hit him in the face with his shield. Peter grunted, knowing that was definitely going to leave a mark. He flipped onto the jet bridge to catch a breath and get away from Cap.

“Stark tell you anything else?” Cap asked, staring at him.

“That you’re wrong,” Peter said. His dad hadn’t told him much, but that Cap was endangering a lot of people by not signing the Accords and not turning over Bucky to the proper authorities. “And you think you’re right. And that makes you dangerous.” Peter swung at Cap, but the super soldier was expecting it and kicked him backwards into the leg of the jet bridge. Peter bit back a cry as a waves of pain rushed through him.

“Guess he had a point,” Cap said. He then threw his shield. Peter’s eyes widened as the jet bridge came down. He could have rolled out of the way. But instead, he put his arms up, stopping the jet bridge from crashing down. Cap watched as held the jet bridge up, struggling under the weight.

“You got heart kid,” Cap said. Was he smiling at him? After he dropped a jet bridge on him? “Where you from?” Peter gulped and said the first thing that came to mind.

“Queens,” Peter said, still struggling under the weight. Cap smirked and turned, starting to run off.

“Brooklyn,” He said, jogging away. As soon as he was gone, Peter let out a cry. His arms were killing him. Without a second thought, he tucked and rolled. He got out of the way, just as the jet bridge hit the ground.

“That was close,” He mumbled, slightly out of breath. He stood up slowly, his face and his back aching.  _ There’s no way this day could get worse _ , he thought as he took a moment to recover.

Oh how wrong he was.


	12. Airport Battle (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Holy shit!” That was all Peter could think as the guy, who had previously shrunk down to the size of a pin, was now huge. He had to have grown sixty feet tall. Peter was amazed, but Tony was pissed. Because the formerly tiny man was holding onto Rhodey.

“Holy shit!” That was all Peter could think as the guy, who had previously shrunk down to the size of a pin, was now huge. He had to have grown sixty feet tall. Peter was amazed, but Tony was pissed. Because the formerly tiny man was holding onto Rhodey.

“Give me back my Rhodey,” Tony shouted. But before he could even attack, Sam flew into him attacking. The formerly tiny dude launched Rhodey into the air. Peter gasped before springing into action.

“I got him!” Peter swung towards his uncle, shooting a web onto his back. Rhodey let out a yelp as he almost came into contact with a plane, before firing his repulsors.

“Nice save kid,” Rhodey said and Peter smirked. His web was still attached, taking the free ride.

“Okay,” Tony’s voice came through the coms. His voice was laced with irritation. “Anybody on our side hiding any shocking and fantastic abilities they'd like to disclose, I'm open to suggestion.” Rhodey glanced back at Peter.

“We gotta stop the big dude.” Rhodey nodded and fired at him. Peter swung around, wrapping himself around the big dude’s arm before kicking the side of his face. He, Rhodey, and his dad continued flying around the big dude, Rhodey and his dad firing whatever they had at him. Tony couldn’t see anyone else besides Clint and just hoped that Vision, Nat, and T’Challa were taking care of them.

“Hey guys,” Peter said, an idea coming to him. “You ever see that really old movie, Empire Strikes back.” Tony fought back a groan. Of course his kid had to reference Star Wars. Was he trying to give his identity away? Everyone on their side was on the coms, they could hear him.

“Jesus Tony,” Rhodey said, slight amusement in his voice. “How old is this guy?”

“I don’t know,” Tony fought down the urge to lecture his son on the whole secret identity thing. “I didn’t carbon-date him. He’s on the young side!” Tony and Rhodey were circling the big dude as Peter started to shoot a web, spinning it around his legs.

“You know that part,” Peter began, going around and around. “Where they’re on the snow planet? With the walking things?” He was still going around in a circle, the web getting tighter. Tony’s eyes widened. He knew exactly what was going on. And his kid was a genius.

“Maybe the kid’s onto something,” Tony said, trying to hide the pride in his voice.

“Go high Tony,” Rhodey said. They both flew at the big dude and punched him as hard as they could. He started to stumble backwards, falling over slowly, clearly dazed.

“Yes!” Peter shouted, hanging onto the web. “That was awesome!” He was so excited that he didn’t see the flailing hand.

Until it swatted him out of the air and crashing down to the ground.

* * *

Tony almost screamed when he saw Peter go crashing down to the ground. He disconnected everyone but Rhodey from the coms as he went flying towards where Peter had crashed down. He felt his chest tighten, seeing his son lying there, not moving. He flashed back to Wanda’s vision, Peter lying before him, cold and lifeless. He bit back a shout and ran towards his son.

He had to be okay.

He dropped down to his knees, ignoring the pain it sent through him.  _ Please be okay, please be okay,  _ he thought as he leaned towards his son.

“Peter?” He reached for Peter’s arm. Suddenly, Peter threw his arm up in defense, a look of alarm on his face. Tony grabbed his arm, but Peter was wriggling and strong. “Hey, hey same side!” Peter had a dazed look in his eyes, but he realized it was his dad in front of him

“Dad,” He whispered, relief shooting through him. “That was scary.” Tony sighed, gently patting his son’s cheek. He could see Peter was out of it. His son had already done more than he should have in this fight.

“You’re done,” Tony said.

“What?” Peter asked, trying to sit up. Tony put a hand on his son’s chest, trying to keep him down. “No dad, I gotta get him back.” Tony applied a little more force.

“Stay down,” Tony commanded, trying to stay calm. “Don’t make me ground you even more.” He got up and backed away flying off. He glanced down to see Peter, trying to get up, before laying back down. He pulled the mask over his face and sighed. That was one problem handled. He caught up to Rhodey as they tried to catch the Quinjet that Cap and Bucky had somehow managed to get.

“Vision I got a bandit on my six,” Rhodey said, as Sam began firing at them. Tony flew back as Rhodey dodged the shots from Sam. “Vision! You copy?”

And then it all went to hell.

A beam from Vision came blasting through the air. But Sam ducked out of the way. Tony watched in horror as it hit Rhodey, destroying the core of his chest plate. Rhodey started to free fall down and Tony felt his heart stop beating.

“Rhodey!” He screamed. He flew downwards, trying desperately to reach him.

“Tony I’m flying deadstick,” Rhodey said weakly. He was falling faster now. Try as he might, Tony couldn’t get close enough to him. He bit back a strangled cry.

“Rhodes!” Tony shouted. But it was too late. Rhodey crashed into the ground. Tony landed seconds later. He ran towards his best friend, cradling his body. He pulled the faceplate off. Rhodey’s eyes were closed and his nose was bleeding.

“Read vitals,” Tony said. He felt like he wanted to scream and cry all at once. This was Rhodey. The guy who looked out for him at MIT and kept him doing anything too stupid. When he had been kidnapped, Rhodey was the only one who didn’t give up looking for him. He had stood by his side all those years, doing his best to support him, even when Tony made an ass of himself.

“Heartbeat detected,” FRIDAY said. That was some relief, but Tony just felt pure anger. “Emergency medical is on the way.” Tony held Rhodey, hoping the EMTs could get there quick. He needed him to be okay. He couldn’t lose anyone else.

“I’m sorry.” Sam had landed nearby. Tony wanted to scream at Sam. The shot had been meant for him, not Rhodey. He would’ve have been fine. But Rhodey? Tony shook his head, the anger coursing through him. Without a second thought, Tony raised his arm and blasted Sam backwards. He kept his arms close around Rhodey. He didn’t need to look at Sam to know he was unconscious. And he certainly didn’t want to look at Vision, who had landed nearby. He just needed his best friend to be okay.

_ Give me back my Rhodey _ . He pleaded.  _ Give me back my Rhodey. _


	13. What Makes a Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Dad?” His voice was tentative and quiet. “Is…” He sniffled a little, tears springing to his eyes. “Is Uncle Rhodey going to be okay?”

Peter sat on the plane in shock. How had everything gone so wrong? He felt sick to his stomach. His uncle was hurt and badly. His dad had been sketchy with the details, saying there would be a full report when they got back to the compound. Peter thought about what his dad had told him. His uncle had been shot out of the sky, by friendly fire, and had crashed to the ground. Peter glanced over at his dad, who was sitting by the window, staring at his StarkPad. Peter got out of his seat and walked over.

“Dad?” His voice was tentative and quiet. “Is…” He sniffled a little, tears springing to his eyes. “Is Uncle Rhodey going to be okay?” Tony put the StarkPad down and held his arm out. Peter nearly collapsed into his seat, pressing his face to his dad’s chest. The tears poured out, but Peter hid his face. His dad held him close, pressing kisses to his hair and running a comforting hand up and down his son’s back. After some time, Peter looked up at his dad, to see his dad’s eyes were red too.

“I’m going to do everything possible to make sure,” Tony said. Peter nodded. Tony inspected his son’s face, seeing a clear black eye forming. He had been so focused on Rhodey, getting him to the hospital, making sure he was stabilized, and then getting him back to the Compound. He hadn’t taken a moment to really assess how his son was doing. He had made sure Happy had kept an eye on Peter until they got on the plane. He reached down and gently touched the bruise, Peter wincing.

“It’ll go away,” Peter said, poking the sensitive skin as well. “Cap’s got a mean right hook.”

“Probably will take longer,” Tony said. He had taken a punch from Barnes and his eye was still healing. “But I had you excused from school all week. Your teachers said they’d email you the work and everything.” Peter nodded.

“Can I worry about it after I know Uncle Rhodey is okay or at least awake?” Peter asked. Tony sighed and nodded. “Thanks dad.” He hugged him again. Peter tried to ignore the thoughts in his head, the thoughts that reminded him that the last time he was on the plane, Rhodey was with him. He had been fine. He had lectured Peter on strategy and helped calm his nerves.

“Breathe bambino.” Peter realized he was puffing out pathetic gasps for air. “Don’t work yourself up.” Peter nodded and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm down. Tony ran a hand through Peter’s hair, the action calming his son down. In fact, it calmed Peter to the point that he fell asleep. Tony sighed and looked out the window.

He felt numb about the whole thing. He knew the prognosis wasn’t good. Rhodey would live, but at what cost to the rest of his body? Vision had shot him with a powerful blast and he had fallen from too high. He wanted to cry and scream. But he felt numb. Rhodey had been there for him through everything. It made him sick to think that this was happening to Rhodey, to his best friend. He squeezed his eyes shut, a small tear running down his face. He’d fix this, all of this. 

He had to.

* * *

Peter sat in the medbay at the Compound. Rhodey was lying in the bed, asleep. The doctors had done a lot of tests, but Peter didn’t know any results. His dad had talked to the doctors and then disappeared to talk to Vision and Nat. Seeing Vision made Peter sick. He knew Vision didn’t mean for this to happen, but it did. A groan broke Peter out of his thoughts.

“Uncle Rhodey?” He asked moving towards the bed. Rhodey winched a little and opened his eyes. After adjusting to the bright lights in the room, he smiled a little when he saw Peter.

“There’s my favorite nephew,” Rhodey said. Peter smiled, but his eyes began watering. “Aw come on, no tears for me buddy.” Peter nodded and wiped at his eyes. “You okay?" 

“Me?” Peter asked. “I’m fine. Are you?” Rhodey sighed and shrugged as best he could, a small wince on his face afterwards. “I-I can go get my dad.” Rhodey waved him off.

“You did a good job out there,” Rhodey said. “Handled yourself pretty well.” He noticed the bruise under Peter’s eye. “And you got a little battle scar.”

“Cap hits hard,” Peter said. Rhodey nodded. He was about to say something when his dad walked in.

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Tony said, trying to wear a mask of his usual confidence. Rhodey chuckled and Tony felt some relief.

“You two got matching black eyes,” Rhodey said. Tony glanced at Peter and ruffled his son’s hair. “So what’s the prognosis?” 

“You sure you want to hear it?” Tony asked.

“I can handle it Tones,” Rhodey said. Tony sighed.

“The doctors say you shattered L4 through S1.” Rhodey nodded, trying to keep his face emotionless. “Extreme laceration in the spinal cord. Probably looking at some form of paralysis.” Rhodey nodded.

“Probably explains why I can’t feel my legs,” He said quickly and Peter hiccuped back a sob. Tony pulled Peter closer and Peter buried his face in his dad’s shirt. “So, what’s the plan?” 

“I’ve got the best surgeons coming here,” Tony said. “They’re going to fix you up. And whatever they don’t fix, I will.”

“Tones.” Tony shook his head. He owed Rhodey this much. After years of looking out for him and supporting him, he owed Rhodey that much. “Alright.” Rhodey noticed Vision hovering outside. Tony turned and sighed.

“I have to handle some stuff,” He glanced down at Peter who slowly separated himself from his dad. “Keep an eye on Rhodey until they take him into surgery alright? And then do some homework.” Peter nodded and Tony kissed the top of his head. Tony nodded to Rhodey who gave him a small smile. Then Tony left the room. Peter pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. Rhodey rested his head on the pillow.

“I’m going to be okay Peter,” Rhodey assured him. “Between the doctors your dad’s brought in and your dad? Shoot, I’m going to be better than okay.” Peter nodded, trying to believe him. He fiddled with his sweatshirt. Was this the cost of being a hero? Rhodey didn’t deserve this. But he didn’t seem angry. He seemed to be accepting it. Peter wanted to say something, but when he looked back at his uncle, he saw that he was asleep. Peter sighed and leaned back in the chair.

Being a hero was no joke. He could see that. It wasn’t just stopping petty crimes and helping out. It was gritty and dark and people got hurt. But he had felt so alive fighting at that airport. He had felt like nothing could stop him and he was invincible. That wasn’t true. No one is invincible, his uncle was proof of that. But the world needed heroes. He knew it was a still a conversation he needed to have with his dad and he was a little scared of the outcome. But he had hope that the world we get to be defended by Spider-Man.

Because they needed him.


	14. A Dash of Pepper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He stopped as he got closer to the kitchen. He could hear someone else. He knew Vision was technically around, but the android spent most of his time alone after Germany (not that Peter minded, seeing Vision still made him sick).
> 
> But then he heard the unmistakable click of a heel. He’d know that sound anywhere.

His dad had been gone for days. He had taken off just before Rhodey’s surgery. He hadn’t said much, just that he had to take care of something. Peter knew it probably had to do with Cap, but he was fine without knowing. Rhodey’s surgery had apparently been a success. His uncle told him that the doctors did what they could to repair his spine, but that he would need something to help him walk again. Peter was sure his dad would come up with something when he got back, but for now they just had to wait.

It was Friday afternoon and Peter was working on homework in his room. He had to go back to school on Monday and had been putting off a lot of work. It wasn’t like he had a good excuse. He had spent most of the days worrying about his dad and Rhodey, pacing different rooms in the Compound. Ned had texted him on Wednesday asking if he was okay. Peter lied and said he was at an Expo with his dad for Stark Industries and that’s why he was out the whole week. It wasn’t like Ned was going to call him on that. His best friend didn’t have any reason to not believe him.

He sighed and put his pencil down. He had been working for a while now and needed a break. He stood up and stretched. He was still a little sore from the fight in Germany, but seemed to be healing up fine. The bruise under his eye was no longer black and blue, but a faded yellow. He exited his room and headed down to the kitchen. He figured a snack and then visiting Rhodey would be a good break. He stopped as he got closer to the kitchen. He could hear someone else. He knew Vision was technically around, but the android spent most of his time alone after Germany (not that Peter minded, seeing Vision still made him sick).

But then he heard the unmistakable click of a heel. He’d know that sound anywhere. He rounded the corner to see Pepper standing in the compound kitchen. She looked up when she entered.

“Peter,” She said, surprised to see him. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at school?” He frowned at her.

“What am I doing here?” He countered. “What are you doing here?” The comment seemed to sting at her and she winced a little.

“I-I heard what happened to Rhodey,” Pepper said. “I wanted to see how he was doing.” Peter’s frown only grew. It was strange and upsetting seeing her there after not seeing her for so long. “What happened to your eye?” She took a step towards him and he stepped backwards. A hurt look flashed across her face. “Sweetie.”

“Don’t call me that,” Peter said, his tone coming out harshly. “You don’t have any right.”

“Peter,” She said, her voice full of hurt. Peter shook his head vigorously. He could feel the anger building up in him. He had been so upset when she left. She had always been there for him. Always. And then, she wasn’t anymore. “Peter please. Let’s just talk.”

“No!” He shouted. She was taken aback by his tone. “You don’t get to just talk to me! You left! You left without even telling me or saying goodbye! You don’t get to just come back and act like everything is okay!”

“I,” Pepper started, her voice shaky. It was clear she didn’t know what to say. Peter wasn’t going to give her the opportunity to speak.

“You were there for me my whole life!” Peter shouted, his vision starting to blur with tears. “You were the one who took care of me when dad was taken! You were the one who told me he was going to be okay anytime he put on the suit! You,” He paused, his breath becoming ragged, sobs crawling up his throat. “You were the closest thing I had to a mother and you left!”

The tears were falling freely now, sobs bubbling out of his throat. Pepper crossed to him and this time, he didn’t move. She pulled him into a hug and he sobbed into her shoulder. It had hurt so bad when she had left. And he hadn’t been able to put into words about how he was feeling because his dad had been falling apart too. Pepper put her hands on his arms and looked down at him. There were tears in her eyes as well.

“I’m so sorry Peter,” She said, her voice shaky. “I’m so sorry I didn’t say anything or check in on you. I shouldn’t have been so selfish.” Peter hugged her tighter, having missed the gentle way she spoke. She fixed a stray piece of hair and he hiccupped a sob.

“I missed you,” He said sadly. She hugged him, a thousand apologies in her mind.

“I missed you too.” She let go of him and took a step back. He seemed different to her. It had only been six months, but Peter wasn’t the same kid as he had been before. “You’ve grown a little I think.”

“Still shorter than dad,” Pepper smiled a little. “Are you,” He was afraid to ask. She had said she was there to see Rhodey. And yet she had been in the kitchen and not the medbay. “Are you and dad,”

“I don’t know sweetie.” It hurt less when she said it this time. “I’d have to talk to him and apparently he’s not here.” Peter nodded.

“Would you come back?” He asked quietly. Pepper was always a master at keeping her emotions in check. But Peter’s outburst had taken something out of her. She sighed and Peter frowned.

“I don’t think that’s up to just me,” She said. Peter nodded, wiping his eyes on his sleeves. Peter walked around her towards the refrigerator. He needed something to eat more than ever. He pulled out a leftover container of Chinese food and grabbed a fork. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, why aren’t you at school? And does it have anything to do with the bruise under your right eye?” He didn’t know how Pepper did it; go right back into that maternal act she always did around him.

“It’s a long story,” Peter said. He wasn’t sure if he should tell her about Spider-Man. Wouldn’t she just freak out?

“I’ve got time,” Pepper said, gently tapping Peter’s shoulder. He sighed and nodded. He walked over to the common area and sat down on the couch. Pepper sat down next to him. He took a breath and then he told her everything.

* * *

She was shocked to say the least. She had shaken her head and mumbled his name probably a million times as he told her everything; about the field trip, the spider-bite, his abilities, Ben’s death, Lila making him the original suit, his dad finding out, and Germany. Other than muttered comments, Pepper hadn’t said much. When he finally finished, hours later, Pepper let out a long sigh.

“You are your father’s son,” She said, tapping her fingers on her knee. Peter shrugged, sheepishly. His dad had been Iron Man for the last seven years. It felt only natural that he ended up where he was now. “What did your dad decide? About Spider-Man?”

“We never really discussed it,” Peter said. “A lot happened between him grounding me and now. I think I still am grounded.” Pepper nodded. She looked like she had a lot more to say, but the ding of an elevator stopped her. Peter stood up suddenly, hearing familiar footsteps. His dad rounded the corner, looking worse than the last time he saw him.

“Dad!” Peter ran over to him. Peter noticed his dad grimace and stopped in front of him.

“Hey squirt,” Tony said quietly. He was holding himself up in a way that said he was in a lot of pain. The bruise under his eye was also fading, but slower than Peter’s. His eyes filled with shock when he spotted Pepper. “Pep.”

“Hi,” She said, not moving from the couch.

“What,” Tony started, utterly confused to see her.

“She came to see Uncle Rhodey,” Peter said quietly. Tony nodded, remembering that he had work to do for his best friend, for Rhodey to be able to walk again. But he couldn’t right now. “Dad?” Tony sighed and walked over to the couch, Peter following him. He sat down, a muffled groan popping up as he did. Pepper was there, for the first time in six months. And while he had a million questions for her, none of them came.

Because he couldn’t stop thinking about his parents.

The video of Barnes murdering his parents was so clear in his mind. It was burned into his brain. And the sheer betrayal of Cap knowing, well that made it all worse. His breath grew shaky as he felt his chest grow tight.

“Tony?” Pepper asked, her hand gently moving to his arm. He gasped a little struggling to breathe. Pepper, who was well versed in Tony’s panic attacks, just simply rubbed her hand up and down his arm.

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Tony squeezed his eyes shut, trying to control his breathing. He felt Peter scoot closer to him. Tony didn’t open his eyes until he felt his breathing slow down and the tightness in his chest reduce. Finally, he opened his eyes.

“What happened?” Pepper asked gently.

“I followed them to Siberia,” Tony said. “Cap and Barnes.” He winced saying their names. “There was this video.” He took a shaky breath. “I-it wasn’t a car accident. I-it was him. Barnes.” Pepper’s hand flew to her mouth. There was only one car accident that impacted Tony in that way. Only one moment in his life that he mourned every year.

“Dad?” Peter asked, confused and scared.

“Barnes killed my parents,” Tony said. Peter frowned, tears springing to his eyes. “And Cap knew. He…he knew and he kept it from me.” He broke down then tears falling down from his eyes freely. Peter felt sad and angry all at once. He hadn’t known his grandparents, but this was hurting his dad, so it hurt him. But everyone else had taken Cap’s side, even though he was a liar. Even though he knew what happened to his grandparents. Peter threw his arms around his dad. Tony buried his face in his son’s hair, tears falling into the messy curls. Pepper kept one hand wrapped around his arm. They all sat there as Tony let out every emotion he had been holding in.

He had been betrayed, lied to, and stabbed in the back. Most of the team took Cap’s side anyways. Nat had doubled crossed them to let Cap and Barnes get away. Rhodey was paralyzed. He could barely look at Vision. The Avengers were done. He felt so broken.

Eventually, the tears stopped and Tony realized how exhausted he was. Between the betrayal, emotional turmoil, and the physical fighting from the last two weeks, he felt like he could sleep for ages. He stood up slowly, Peter releasing his hold on him and Pepper’s arm dropping.

“It’s late,” He said, glancing at Peter. Peter nodded, standing up as well. Tony hugged him tightly, needing to remember the things he still had, the things that were still precious to him.

“Love you, dad,” Peter said and Tony smiled sadly. Peter then let go and disappeared down the hallway to his room. Tony sighed. He didn’t glance at Pepper. He didn’t know if he had the energy to talk to her at that moment.

“I need a shower.” He wasn’t sure if he was telling himself or her. But he didn’t give her a chance to respond. He just walked down to his room and into the bathroom.

* * *

Tony lost track of how long he was in the shower for. The warm water helped his muscles a little, but he was still a bruised and sore mess. Being left for dead in freezing Siberia certainly hadn’t helped the litany of injuries he already had. He dried off and wiped a towel around his waist. He walked into his room, surprised to see Pepper sitting on the bed.

“You’re still here.” She turned around to face him. She gasped when she saw the bruises on his chest. She got up and crossed the room to him. He gulped a little as she reached out and gently ran her hand across the bruise where his arc reactor used to sit. A sad look crossed her face and then she looked up at him. He could feel himself getting lost in her blue eyes. They were like the ocean, lovely, dark, and deep. He wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless, but that felt wrong. He stepped back and walked around her towards the walk-in closet. He disappeared inside, ditching the towel for sweatpants and an old Black Sabbath T-shirt.

He couldn’t tell why she was here. Was she concerned? Just checking on him? Or did she want him back? She had said very little, just listened when he had spoken in the living room. Peter said she had come to visit Rhodey. But was that the only reason? He exited the walk-in closet, Pepper standing exactly where he had left her. He sat down on the bed, a groan escaping his lips from the soreness of his muscles.

“Are you okay?” She asked, her voice soft and full of concern. He looked up at her.

“God no,” Tony said. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.” He rubbed his hands across his face. “Between Rhodey and the team taking Cap’s side and Cap lying to me.” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to rid himself of the image of Barnes choking his mother to death. But that image was burned into his brain and would be for the rest of his life. “I’m so tired of being alone.” It came out as a desperate whisper. Pepper gasped a little and then he felt movement on the bed. He opened his eyes to see her sitting next to him. She was kneeling so she could face him.

“You’re not alone Tony,” Her voice was soft, but urgent. “You have Rhodey, Happy, Peter, and.” She paused. He looked at her, wondering who she was going to say next. A sad sigh came from her and she placed one delicate hand on his face. “And me.” Tony stared into her eyes, a soft sound escaping his throat when he saw her eyes tear up. “I’m sorry I didn’t remind you of that sooner.”

Tony stared at Pepper, his beautiful, perfect Pepper. He had been stupid to not fight for her, to let this break last as long as it did. He still loved her with every fiber of his being. His placed his hands on her hips and gently pulled her towards him. She smiled at him and that told him everything he needed to. His lips were on hers in a second, kissing her softly, making sure this was real and not a dream. When her hands tangled in his hair, her body flush against his, he knew it was real. He had her back. He kissed her with more urgency, trying to make up for how long those six months had been. She responded in kind, kissing him back with the same passion and ferocity.

When he finally pulled away, because he needed to breathe, he just stared at her.

“I missed you,” He said, lacing his fingers with hers. “So, so much.” She nodded and kissed him again. It was a quick, feathery kiss, but it told him that she had missed him too. “Will you stay?”

“Always,” She whispered. They shifted their positions around until they were both lying down, Tony on his back and Pepper next to him, cuddled into his side. She traced her delicate nails up and down his arm, the action causing his eyes to drift shut. He didn’t know if he’d sleep peacefully, but he knew he’d sleep better having her there.

His eyes drooped shut, feeling as much at peace as he could.


	15. Who Can You Depend On?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How could you?” 
> 
> “Lila?”
> 
> “My dad is in jail because of your dad!”

Peter sat up slowly in bed, the morning sun shining through the window. He sighed. His body was finally starting to feel like normal. He wondered if the bruise under his eye was gone. Before he had the chance to check, his phone started ringing. He answered it without checking the caller ID.

“How could you?” He winced pulling the phone away from his ear.

“Lila?”

“My dad is in jail because of your dad!” Peter frowned. He knew that those who helped Cap had to deal with some repercussions. But jail? “I might never get to see him again!”

“That’s not my dad’s fault,” Peter said. He heard Lila sniff in anger. Was she crying? “It’s a lot more complicated than that.”

“No it’s not,” Lila said. “I helped you and you stabbed me in the back!” Peter grit his teeth, not understanding why Lila was so angry at him.  Not to mention, she didn’t know the whole story. “I saw the news coverage. Spider-Man was there. In a fancy new suit.” He heard Lila sniff again in anger. Yeah, she was definitely crying. “My dad is gone and it’s you and your dad’s fault.”

“Would you just listen to me!” Peter shouted.

“No!” Lila shouted back. “It’s true.” Peter gripped the sheets on his bed. He just wanted her to listen. But she was refusing and screaming at him. It made him so frustrated.

“Some friend you are,” Peter hissed. He heard Lila scoff.

“We’re not friends anymore,” Lila said. “You and your dad can go to hell!” And then the call ended. Peter fumed for a second. Then he chucked his phone across the room. It shattered against the wall. Peter squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to cry. He had trusted Lila with his secret, had asked for her help. And instead of listening, she overreacted. He flopped backwards on his bed and buried his face in his pillow.

He thought he could trust and depend on Lila. He had been wrong.

* * *

When Tony woke up the next morning, the bed was empty. He sighed. Had last night been a dream? He sat up slowly. He spotted a neatly folded pile of clothes on the nightstand. Clothes that were very clearly Pepper’s. He smiled. Maybe it hadn’t been a dream. He got out of bed and headed down the hall. As he approached the kitchen, he caught a delicious smell wafting through the room.

“Good morning,” She said, looking over her shoulder. She had changed into an old T-shirt of his and sweatpants. He smiled, happy to see Pepper there. “I’m working on breakfast.” He walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Smells delicious,” He said, resting his chin on her shoulder. She leaned back a little, pressing into him. “When I woke up alone, I was worried that I had dreamed last night.” She turned her head slightly to face him. She shook her head and planted a kiss on his lips. Tony held the kiss, not wanting the moment to end.

“Gross.” Pepper let out a laugh as she moved away from Tony. They both turned around to see Peter standing there.

“Good morning kiddo,” Tony said, smiling at his son.

“Is it?” Peter grumbled, taking a seat at the kitchen counter. Tony tilted his head and glanced at Pepper. She nodded towards Peter and went back to cooking.

“What’s wrong?” Tony asked, approaching Peter.

“Lila called me,” Tony frowned and sighed. “She was yelling at me about the whole thing. She blamed what happened to her dad on you and me.” Tony raised an eyebrow and glanced at Pepper. “I told her about Spider-Man.”

“Stark men and their lack of self-preservation,” Pepper said glancing at them. Tony nodded, still a little surprised that Peter had told Pepper. But perhaps it was better that way.

“I’m sorry kiddo,” Tony said.

“I tried to reason with her,” Peter said sadly. “But she wouldn’t listen.” He sighed. “I got so mad I threw my phone at the wall. It broke.”

“We can replace that,” Tony said. “But I’m sorry Lila wouldn’t listen to you.” Peter nodded. Pepper placed two plates of food on the kitchen island. Tony wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Peter watched them warily.

“Are you guys,” He started, not sure how to phrase it. Tony glanced at Pepper who smirked at him.

“Yeah,” Pepper said. “We are.” Peter nodded. “Is that okay with you?”

“Yeah,” Peter said. Tony watched the interaction, wondering what he missed. Pepper picked up a third plate of food.

“I’m going to bring this to Rhodey,” She said.

“Tell him I’ll be down in a bit,” Tony said. She nodded and then left the room. Tony then turned to face his son. “Everything okay kiddo? Between you and Pepper I mean.” Peter shrugged.

“I yelled at her yesterday,” Peter said. “I just...she was here and then I got so mad because she had been gone for so long,” He paused. Tony walked around the island and sat down next to Peter. “I was so mad at her because she was the closest thing I ever had to a mom and she left.” Tony sighed and pulled his son into a hug.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” Tony asked.

“Well you were sad she left too,” Peter said. “I mean, you didn’t leave the Tower for like a week.” Tony sighed and ruffled Peter’s hair. “And then the spider bite happened.”

“So are you okay with Pepper being back?” Tony asked. “Because you’re allowed to be upset.”

“No it’s okay dad,” Peter said. “I was mad at her but I still told her everything about being Spider-Man. She came back and I wanted to stay mad but I couldn't. I mean, it’s Pepper, dad.” Tony smiled and kissed his son’s head. “Besides, I want you to be happy.”

“Who says I wasn’t happy?” Tony countered. Peter gave his dad a look and Tony chuckled. “Yeah okay, point taken.” Tony kissed his son’s head. “Alright, you got homework to do?” Peter nodded. “Then eat and then go do that. I’ve got some stuff to work on.”

“For Uncle Rhodey?” Peter asked and Tony nodded. “If I finish my homework, can I come help?” Tony glanced at Peter and smiled. Peter liked to hang out in the lab with him, but they never worked on projects together.

“Yeah kiddo,” Tony said. “That sounds great.” Peter smiled and began eating. Tony ruffled his hair and headed out of the kitchen. As he walked down the hallway, he spotted Pepper walking towards him.

“Rhodey’s bored and says you need to come see him now,” She said and Tony chuckled. He put his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

“He can wait a few minutes,” Tony said before kissing her. Pepper wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. They probably would have stayed like that, had FRIDAY not interrupted them.

“Boss,” FRIDAY’s voice broke through, causing the two to pull apart. “Colonel Rhodes has requested that you stop acting like seals fighting over grapes with Ms. Potts and come see him.”

“Tell Rhodey he can wait,” Tony said, earning a giggle from Pepper. And then they were back to kissing. And for the first time in a while, everything felt okay.


	16. Ground Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We need to talk about that,” Tony said. “The whole Spider-Man thing.”

After finishing his homework, Peter went down to his dad’s workshop. His dad was sitting near the table in the middle, working on something. He noticed Pepper was sitting on the couch, typing away on her laptop. Peter punched in the code and entered.

“Hey kiddo,” Tony said, not looking up from his work. “Finish your homework?”

“Yep,” Peter said. He pulled up a stool and sat next to his dad. Tony passed him a pair of safety goggles and Peter put them on. “So what are you working on?”

“Mechanical leg braces,” Tony said, picking up a screwdriver.

“Will they help Uncle Rhodey walk?” Peter asked.

“That’s the plan.” Peter watched his dad work. Usually, when Peter hung out in the lab, he worked on something separate. But it felt nice to do something with him in the workshop, even if he watched more than anything.

“You all having a family meeting without me?” Peter looked up to see Rhodey rolling into the room in a wheelchair. Peter smiled when he saw his uncle. “Could’ve at least told me Tones.”

“Sorry I didn’t call you about your braces which I’m working on with my son,” Tony said, glancing from his work.

“You’re helping your dad?” Rhodey asked, wheeling up to Peter. “Well then I know these braces are gonna be great.” Peter smiled and Tony scoffed.

“Who do you think taught him everything he knows?” Tony countered. “I helped the kid make those web shooters. Didn’t know it at the time, but I did.”

“Sorry for lying,” Peter said with a sheepish look. He heard Pepper close her laptop and moved towards where they all were. Tony put the screwdriver down.

“We need to talk about that,” Tony said. “The whole Spider-Man thing.” Tony stood up and offered Pepper his stool. Peter stared at the three adults in his life. Rhodey was sitting next to him in his wheelchair, his dad standing on the other side of him, and Pepper sitting nearby.

“So I can keep the suit?” Peter asked. Tony sighed. He didn’t love the idea of his son rushing out and fighting crime. But Rhodey was hurt and even if the braces worked and he was able to walk again, it would be sometime before he could be War Machine again (if he even wanted that). And Tony didn’t have anyone else he could rely on. The rest of the Avengers had proven that. Tony cleared his throat.

“We’re all going to be keeping an eye on you,” Tony said, nodding to Pepper and Rhodey. “And Happy as well. In fact, if I’m ever not home or in a meeting, Happy will be your point person. But don’t stress him out. I’ve seen his cardiogram.” Peter smirked, but nodded “We’ll keep May out of this because I’m sure she will kill all of us for letting you endanger yourself.”

“Okay,” Peter nodded, a small smile on his face.

“Don’t do anything I would do,” Tony said. “And definitely don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. There’s a...there’s a little grey area in there, and that’s where you operate.” He glanced at Rhodey who nodded.

“So, am I an Avenger?” Peter asked. Tony winced a little. The Avengers were no more. The team taking Cap’s side proved that.

“No.” Peter nodded, trying to hide his sadness. He wanted to work with his dad. But maybe his dad didn’t want to be Iron Man, after what had happened. He didn’t know. “So I just go out on patrol? Do what I’ve been doing?”

“Pretty much,” Tony said. “But with clear ground rules: One, No skipping school. Your education is your first priority. Two, you can patrol after school only. Maybe weekends. We’ll discuss that later. Three, you have a curfew. You break it, you’re grounded.” Peter nodded. “And finally, if you get hurt or anything bad happens, you call one of us immediately, got it?” Peter nodded.

“What do I, um, tell Aunt May?” Peter asked. “Like I know you said don’t tell her but like sometimes when you go away for meetings and stuff, I stay with her. So what do I tell her? Or like Ned, if he wants to hang out and I’m busy?”

“Well first don’t ignore your best friend to be Spider-Man,” Tony said. “Because that never works out.” He glanced at Rhodey who smirked a little. “Second, if anyone asks what you’re up to, just say you’re helping out at the company.” Peter raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“Well you are going to inherit it one day,” Tony pointed out. “Last I checked kid, your last name is Stark and it’s Stark Industries.” Peter looked at Pepper who smiled at him and nodded. Peter had never considered the fact that one day his father’s company was going to be his. It was a weird realization to have. Especially because he was fourteen and that was a long time away.

“Training for your future,” Pepper said with a smile. “Kind of like an internship.”

“Except unpaid because you’re my kid and all,” Tony said, reaching over and ruffling Peter’s hair. Peter whined at his dad messing up his hair and tried to fix it, earning a chuckle from the adults in the room.

“Okay,” Peter said. “Can I patrol tonight?”

“For my stress level can you wait until Monday kiddo?” Peter nodded and Tony sighed a little. “Thank you. Now, let’s get back to work.” Peter smiled and the two bent over the work on the table. Pepper fixed some of Peter’s messy hair, earning her a smile from the teenager. She kissed Tony on the cheek before heading back to the couch where she had been sitting. Rhodey stayed where he was, watching the father and son work. And then, then family fell into a companionable silence, only changed when Tony put some music on.

* * *

Later that day, Tony and Rhodey were in the gym. Tony had finished the braces and wanted Rhodey to test them, which his best friend was more than happy to do. Rhodey had both his hands firmly on two metal bars as he slowly stepped, the braces helping him move. Tony could see that it was hard for Rhodey, but he that his best friend wasn’t going to complain.

“It's just the first pass,” Tony said, following Rhodey as he took each step. Rhodey nodded, a sign of exertion in his eyes.

“Yeah.” He was so focused on moving each leg.

“Give me some feedback,” Tony said, watching him closely. “Anything you can think of. Shock absorption. Lateral movement. Cup holder?” Rhodey chuckled and shook his head.

“You may wanna think about some AC down in,” He stopped talking as he fell forward onto his hands. Tony ran over to him. He could see Rhodey was frustrated, but he wanted him to feel like he could handle this.

“Let's go,” Tony said, offering his hands to Rhodey.  “I'll give you a hand.” Rhodey shook his head and Tony fought back a sigh. Was this how Rhodey felt every time he tried to help Tony and Tony pushed him away?

“No, no, don't,” Rhodey said. Tony sighed and put his hands down. “Don't help me. Don't help me.” Rhodey lifted himself slowly, breathing heavily from the exertion before slowly moving himself to a sitting position. Tony sat down next to him, a sad look on his face. Rhodey sighed. “138. 138 combat missions. That's how many I've flown, Tony. Every one of them could've been my last, but I flew 'em. Because the fight needed to be fought.” Tony nodded and Rhodey clapped him on the shoulder. “It's the same with these Accords. I signed because it was the right thing to do. And, yeah, this sucks. This is… This is a bad beat. But it hasn't change my mind. I don't think.” Rhodey offered Tony a slight smile. Tony stood up and offered Rhodey a hand. This time, Rhodey took is and pulled himself up.

“You okay?” Tony asked and Rhodey nodded.

“Oh yeah.” Peter appeared in the room then, seeing the two of them. “Braces are working great Pete.” Peter smiled and Rhodey ruffled his hair. Peter was about to say something when there was a knock on the window. There was an older man, wearing a FedEx uniform standing outside.

“Are you Tony "Stank"?” Rhodey snorted and even Peter giggled. Tony sighed and gave his best friend and son a look.

“Yes,” Rhodey called, pointing to Tony. “This is- this is Tony "Stank". You're in the right place.” He chuckled and turned to walk away “Help me out Peter.” Peter nodded and began walking with Rhodey.

“Thank you for that!” Rhodey called back to the driver as Peter cautiously helped him start to move. “I'm never dropping that, by the way. Table for one, Mr. "Stank". Please, by the bathroom.” Peter helped Rhodey out of the room, not glancing back at his dad. He was curious what the package was about, but figured he could ask later. He helped Rhodey all the way back to his room.

“How are you feeling Uncle Rhodey?” Peter asked, glancing down at the braces. Rhodey smiled a little and sighed.

“Better every day kiddo,” Rhodey said. “Don’t tell your dad, but these braces are pretty great.” Peter smiled.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Peter said and Rhodey smiled at his nephew. Peter didn’t know if things were really getting better. Most of the Avengers had turned their back on his dad and Cap had left him for dead in Siberia. But he was still allowed to be Spider-Man and his uncle was slowly learning to walk again. Things weren’t perfect, but they were improving. And that was a good start.

* * *

Peter found his dad a little later in a small office. It was his office, but his dad hardly used it. Usually, Tony was in the lab. He was sitting at the desk, holding a flip phone in one hand and a letter in the other.

“Dad?” Peter asked. Tony glanced up at his son and sighed. “Everything okay?” Tony put the letter down and shrugged. Peter walked into the office. Tony noticed him look at the paper on his desk.

“Apology letter of sorts,” Tony said with a sigh. “From Cap.” Peter frowned. “And a phone, if I ever need to reach him or need help.”

“Why would you want from a traitor?” Peter said, his frown turning into a scowl.” Tony sighed and put the letter and the cell phone inside a desk drawer.  “You weren’t wrong dad, you weren’t.”

“Thanks kiddo,” Tony said softly. Peter was about to continue, when FRIDAY interrupted.

“Priority call from Secretary Ross,” FRIDAY said. “There's been a breach at the Raft prison.” Peter looked a bit shocked. That was wear Lila’s dad was being held. He noticed his dad didn’t look shocked at all. What had been in that letter?

“Yeah, put him through,” Tony said, leaning forward in his chair.

“Tony, we have a problem.” Peter had never heard Secretary Thaddeus Ross’s voice before. He immediately didn’t like it. Not to mention Ross had a problem with enhanced people, which included Peter.

“Ah, please hold,” Tony said. Peter fought back a snort as his dad leaned towards the phone.

“No!” Ross nearly shouted as Tony’s finger hovered over the end call button. “Don’t,” And then Tony pressed the button and the line went dead.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to ignore calls from the Secretary of State,” Peter pointed out. Tony shrugged and stood up, walking towards his son. He wrapped his arm around Peter’s shoulder and Peter leaned closer to his dad.

“He’ll live,” Tony said. “How about we head back to the city and get some dinner? You, me, and Pepper?” Peter smiled.

“Yeah that sounds good dad,” Tony smiled and kissed Peter’s head.

“You go say bye to Rhodey and then we’ll head out.” Peter nodded and headed towards the medbay. He paused when he felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out of his pocket and stared sadly at the contact name. He sighed, before opening the text message.

**He’s home.**

He sighed, staring at the message from Lila. She had been so furious with him. And it had hurt him that someone he trusted could just turn on him like that. But Clint had taken Cap’s side. How could Peter expect Lila to listen to him or even believe him?

_ Good. _ He texted back. He didn’t expect to hear from Lila again. Even if Clint was home safe, he was sure there was some trouble coming for him because they had been broken out. He put his phone away and sighed. He didn’t need Lila, at least in the way he had before. His dad knew his secret now. He didn’t have to lie anymore. Things were going to be different. Maybe even better. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t miss the friendship he had had with Lila.

He shook the thought off, continuing down the hallway. It would hurt less eventually.


	17. Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He put his phone away and sighed. Other than his patrolling in Queens, nothing else had really happened. His dad was constantly busy with Stark Industries and it seemed like he was always travelling. Peter had to wonder if it had to do with what happened in Siberia; if his dad needed other work to clear his mind. He could tell something was up the last time he had talked to his dad, as his dad had seemed distracted. He didn’t pry, as it was probably not his business. Besides, he knew if his dad needed him, or more specifically Spider-Man, he’d let him know just as he had for Germany.

“Peter, time to wake up!” Peter groaned as he sat up slowly in bed. He was at May’s apartment in Queens. His dad and Pepper were at a conference in India. Things had been getting better since Germany. Rhodey was using the braces to help him walk every day. He hadn’t put the War Machine armor back on, but then again, he was trying to clean up the mess that the Accords and the splintered Avengers had caused.

His dad and Pepper were back on track, relationship wise. It had been an adjustment at first, seeing the two back together. But Peter knew she made his dad happy. And, it was clear to him how sorry she was for not speaking with him before she left. And they had each other to share their concerns over Peter being Spider-Man. Because even though his dad let him keep the suit, he was definitely concerned.

“Up and at ‘em,” May said poking her head into the room. He nodded and she smiled before leaving the room. It was strange, leaving May in the dark about Spider-Man. He knew she would freak out about it, but it was definitely weird to keep it a secret. He was glad that his dad knew; not having Lila to talk to about it had been hard. But at least he had people to share his experiences with (although they thought his good-deeds were far less interesting than she had).

Peter got dressed quickly, throwing on a brown flannel shirt, a blue sweater over it, and jeans. He slipped his shoes on, grabbing his backpack and coat, before leaving the room. As he moved towards the kitchen, he couldn’t smell anything, which was a good sign that May hadn’t tried to cook. His aunt still was a terrible cook. Peter grabbed a granola bar before turning towards his aunt. She was sitting at the table, reading.

“In a hurry?” She asked and Peter nodded. “Well I’m not working tonight, so you and I should have dinner and catch up. I feel like I don’t see you anymore, even with you staying here.” Peter smiled sheepishly. He was always telling May that he was out with Ned or at practice or helping his dad with the company. He felt bad for lying, but it was better this way.

“Sounds great May,” He said, crossing over to her. She squeezed his arm and he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” May said. “Now get to school. Learn something interesting.” Peter smirked before leaving the apartment. He put his headphones in as he headed towards the subway station. He had managed to convince his dad to not have Happy chauffeur him around when he was staying with May. Not to mention, he liked taking the subway. He did need to always listen to music to tune out everyone’s voices, but it was still always interesting. As he stood in the subway car, the scenery of Queens passing by him, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text.

_Hey Uncle Happy! Just checking in. I’m out of school at 2:45. Ready for whatever mission you or my dad have for me._

He put his phone away and sighed. Other than his patrolling in Queens, nothing else had really happened. His dad was constantly busy with Stark Industries and it seemed like he was always travelling. Peter had to wonder if it had to do with what happened in Siberia; if his dad needed other work to clear his mind. He could tell something was up the last time he had talked to his dad, as his dad had seemed distracted. He didn’t pry, as it was probably not his business. Besides, he knew if his dad needed him, or more specifically Spider-Man, he’d let him know just as he had for Germany.

Peter was so in his thoughts as he exited the subway and walked towards Midtown, that he barely had time to register Flash’s car driving towards him. He felt the hairs on his arm stand up and he stepped forward, just as the car sped past.

“What’s up Penis?” Peter rolled his eyes, ignoring the snickers from other students as he headed inside. Flash was a jerk, nothing seemed to change that. Peter tucked the headphones in his pocket as he entered the school, hearing the school news report. He listened half-heartedly as Betty and Jason reminded students about Homecoming in a few weeks. He didn’t really care about Homecoming. If he went, then he couldn’t patrol. Also, there was very little chance that any girl at their school would actually go with him. Peter reached his locker and opened it, putting his jacket and some books away.

“Join me,” Peter smirked as he heard Ned’s voice from behind him. He was doing his best Emperor Palpatine, which wasn’t that great but Peter didn’t have the heart to tell him. “And together... we’ll build my new Lego Death Star.”

“What?” Peter spun around to see Ned holding a Lego Emperor Palpatine and smirking. Peter blushed a little, noticing a few cheerleaders watching them and calling them lame.

“No way!” Peter said, as the girls looked away. He lowered his voice as he closed his locker. “That’s awesome. How many pieces?” Ned smirked and pocketed the Lego figurine.

“Three thousand eight hundred and three.” Peter’s eyes went wide and Ned nodded. It didn’t matter that they were fifteen and in high school. The two best friends still loved their Legos.

“That’s insane.” Ned shrugged, the smirk still on his face. The two began walking down the hallway towards their homeroom.

“I know,” Ned said. “You want to build it tonight?” Peter sighed. He remembered his dad telling him not to ignore his best friend to be Spider-Man (which Rhodey had wholeheartedly agreed with). But he needed to patrol.

“No, I can’t tonight,” Peter said and Ned frowned. “I’ve got the Stark-

“Stark internship.” Peter nodded. It wasn’t fair to lie to Ned. But there was no way he could tell Ned the truth. His dad would probably take the suit away if he did.

“Yeah, exactly,” Ned made a face and glanced at Peter.

“Always got that internship,” Ned said. “Even though your dad owns the company and his girlfriend is the CEO.”

“Yeah, well,” Peter said with a shrug. “It’s kind of going to be mine one day. And then maybe, I can hire you to run the labs or something.” Peter glanced at his best friend and Ned smiled.

“That would be so sweet,” Ned said.

“Right?”

“You could be all, ‘Good job on that new tech, Ned. Here’s a gold coin.’” Peter gave Ned a look and Ned shrugged.

“I don’t know how jobs work.” Peter laughed and patted Ned on the shoulder.

“That’s exactly how they work.” The two friends chuckled as they continued down the hallway. Ned was talking about something, but Peter tuned him out when he spotted Liz Allen. He stopped walking and just watched her. God, she was so pretty. She was talking to someone, tucking a stray strand of black hair behind her ear. She noticed Peter and smiled at him. Peter felt his heart beat a little faster.

“What do you think?” Peter turned to see Ned, who was a few paces ahead of him. He walked up to Ned, unsure of what his friend had said.

“Um yeah that sounds great.” And then the bell rang. Peter glanced back over at where Liz had been, but she was gone. “Come on, we’re going to be late.” Peter sighed before following his best friend to class.

* * *

The day seemed to be ticking by slowly. Peter hadn’t been paying too much attention in physics class, watching videos of Spider-Man on YouTube. He was Queens’ favorite hero, which always made Peter smile. He had gotten the question that Ms. Warren had asked right, earning more of Flash’s ire. But Peter knew the bully was harmless. Flash was all bark and no bite.

In chemistry, Peter focused on making more of his web fluid, as he was running low. He knew he could’ve probably just have gone to the Tower to do it, but he wasn’t supposed to go into his dad’s workshop without him and FRIDAY would’ve just snitched on him. And he preferred working on the web fluid than listening to a lecture on Niels Bohr.

It was lunch now and Peter was barely eating, staring at Liz instead. She and Betty Brant were putting up a banner for the Homecoming dance. He sighed as he watched her.

“Did Liz get a new top?” He asked, watching his crush work. He didn’t have to look at Ned to know his best friend probably rolled his eyes. Peter had had a crush on Liz for over a year and hadn’t done anything about it. It was probably because he got all tongue-tied around her. And she was way out of his league.

“No,” Ned said, poking at his food. “We’ve seen that before, but never with that skirt.” Peter nodded and sighed a little, a happy smile on his face.

“We should probably stop staring before it gets creepy, though,” Peter said. Before Ned, could respond, they heard another voice.

“Too late,” Peter and Ned turned their head. Michelle was sitting at their table. She had a book in her hands and no food near her. Did she eat? And why did she always sit at their table? “You guys are losers.” Ned made a face and Peter gave her a look.

“Then why do you sit with us?” Ned asked and Michelle shrugged before turning back to her book.

“Because I don’t have friends.” Ned looked at Peter who shrugged, before the two launched into a conversation about Star Wars.

* * *

Peter was sitting in the auditorium as the Academic Decathlon team practiced later that day. Liz was at the podium, reading questions off cards. Abe and Cindy were at the table set up at the stage, practicing. Peter turned towards Mr. Harrington who had a disappointed look on his face.

“Peter, it’s nationals,” Mr. Harrington said with a frown. “Is there no way you could take one weekend off?” Peter sighed. He had told Mr. Harrington that he couldn’t attend Nationals because his dad needed his help with the company. And it was clear his teacher wasn’t happy.

“I can’t go to Washington because if my dad needs me, then I have to make sure that I’m here,” Peter said. It was a flimsy lie at best, but it was what was best. He couldn’t stop being Spider-Man for one weekend. Nothing was more important that stopping crime in Queens.

“Tony Stark isn’t leaving his company to a twerp like you,” Peter turned around to see Flash sitting nearby, reading a book. Peter rolled his eyes. He didn’t have the patience to explain to Flash, for the millionth time, that his dad was in fact Tony Stark and yes he would someday inherit Stark Industries, as his dad had from his grandfather.

“Wait, what’s happening?” Cindy asked, from her seat on the stage. Cindy’s best friend Sally, who was lying on her stomach on the stage, looked up from her notes.

“Peter’s not going to Washington.” Sally said, before going back to studying. The rest of the team gasped. Peter felt uncomfortable as they all turned to stare at him.

“No. No, no, no, no, no. No. No.” Cindy was freaking out from her seat. She grabbed the nearest physics book and started obsessively reading through it. Abe rang the bell in front of him and Mr. Harrington rolled his eyes.

“Why not?” Peter didn’t have a chance to answer Abe as Liz spoke up.

“Really?” She asked, looking at Peter. He felt his stomach twist into knots. It certainly didn’t help seeing the disappointed look on her face. “Right before nationals?”

“He already quit marching band and robotics lab.” Everyone turned to Michelle, who was leaning against a nearby wall, buried in a book as always. They all gave her a look, as if asking how she even knew that. “I’m not obsessed with him. Just very observant.” Abe and Cindy shrugged and Peter flashed Liz and apologetic smile. Liz sighed.

“Flash, you’re in for Peter.”

“Ooh, I don’t know. I gotta check my calendar first. I got a hot date with Black Widow coming up.” Peter rolled his eyes. He wanted to remind Flash that Natasha Romanoff was on the run from several governments. But Flash didn’t listen to him. Abe hit the bell in front of him.

“That is false.” Peter bit back a chuckle as the rest of the team laughed at Abe’s antics.

“What did I tell you about using the bell for comedic purposes?” Mr. Harrington asked, getting up to talk to Abe. Peter sighed and glanced at the clock. Was the day over yet? All he wanted to do was go on patrol.

* * *

Peter was thrilled when the day was finally over. He had run out of the school, excited to finally get a chance to patrol. Of course, before he could patrol, he had to make a stop.

“What’s up Mr. Delmar?” Peter said, entering the deli. Mr. Delmar smiled and nodded to Peter.

“Number five, right?” Peter nodded as he went to grab a bag of gummy worms as well.

“Yeah, um, and, uh, with pickles, and can you smush it down real flat?” The cook nodded, a small smirk on his face. “Thanks.” Peter walked towards the counter.

“How’s your aunt?” Mr. Delmar asked, surveying the teenager. The whole neighborhood knew May, even before Ben passed.”

“Yeah, she’s alright.” Peter said with a shrug. Mr. Delmar turned towards the cook and said something in Spanish. Peter rolled his eyes, knowing Mr. Delmar was calling his aunt hot. Peter couldn’t help but make a comment about Mr. Delmar’s daughter in Spanish, to which Mr. Delmar glared at him while the cook laughed loudly.

“Ten dollars.” Peter frowned. It was a joke. Couldn’t Mr. Delmar take a joke?

“It’s five dollars.”

“For that comment, ten dollars.” Peter sighed and put on his best puppy dog eyes.

“Hey, come on, I’m joking. I’m joking.” Mr. Delmar rolled his eyes as Peter handed him five dollars. “Here’s five dollars.” Mr. Delmar grumbled something under his breath as he took the money. Peter moved towards the deli cat that hung out on the counter. He pet it a little as he waited for his food.

[Peter moves toward a fat cat lying on the counter and pets him.]

“So, how’s school?” Mr. Delmar asked, as Peter drifted back towards the center of the counter.

“Ah, you know,” Peter said in a non-committal voice. “It’s boring. Got better things to do.” Mr. Delmar shook his head as the cook handed him the sandwich wrapped in tinfoil. He put the sandwich in a black plastic bag, along with far too many napkins.

“Stay in school, kid.” Mr. Delmar warned. “Otherwise, you’re gonna end up like me.” He handed Peter the bag and Peter smirked.

“This is great.” Mr. Delmar smirked as Peter took the bag.

“Best sandwiches in Queens.” Peter nodded before taking off. He jogged down the street until he found an empty alleyway. As soon as he knew he was hidden from the street, he dropped his bag and started pulling his clothes off. He quickly pulled his suit on and dumped his clothes in his backpack. He zipped it shut and webbed it to the nearest wall. He then pulled the mask on, hitting the emblem on his chest as the suit shrunk to fit him perfectly. He shot a web and swung through the alley, before climbing up to the top of a building. As he surveyed Queens, he took a long, satisfied breath.

“Ah, finally.” He smiled to himself, glad he was finally free to do what he loved.


	18. Some Serious Tech

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter sat on the fire escape of a building, eating his sandwich. The sun was slowly setting in the distance. He knew he probably had to get back to May’s apartment soon. But he didn’t want to.

Peter sat on the fire escape of a building, eating his sandwich. The sun was slowly setting in the distance. He knew he probably had to get back to May’s apartment soon. But he didn’t want to. As he finished the sandwich, he pulled out his phone. His dad said to always check in with Happy, especially if he was on a business trip. So he dialed his number. He sighed when Happy didn’t answer.

“Hey Uncle Happy!” Peter said, an excitement in his voice. “Um, here’s my report for tonight. I stopped a grand theft bicycle. Couldn’t find the owner, so I just left a note. Um... I helped this lost, old Dominican lady. She was really nice and bought me a churro. So I just, um, feel like I could be doing more. You know? Just curious when the next real mission is gonna be. So, uh yeah, just let me know. Or have my dad let me know. Whatever’s cool with you guys. Okay, bye.” He then ended the call. He sighed and tucked his phone away.

He loved being Spider-Man. He loved helping the people of Queens. But after Germany, he had felt like he could do so much more. And with the Avengers splintered and broken, this was his opportunity to do more than just stop petty thefts. But his dad only listened to his stories and never had him do more. He supposed he could blame it on how busy his dad was. But he wanted to do more and no one was letting him. It made him feel useless, which he hated. He sat up a little straighter when he could see a few guys entering a very, clearly closed bank.

“Finally, something good.” He swung down towards the bank. There were four robbers. He almost laughed when he realized they were all wearing Avengers masks. And the really cheap ones too. He saw them fiddling around with a gun near one of the ATMs. He walked in and took up a casual pose near the door.

“What’s up, guys? You forgot your PIN number?” The four robbers spun around, startled by his presence. “Whoa! You’re the Avengers. What are you guys doing here?” One of the robbers loaded up the gun in hand, but Peter was faster, He used his web to grab the gun and then hit the two robbers wearing the Iron Man and Thor masks with it. The guy in the Hulk mask ran at him and he pushed him backwards roughly. He then kicked the robber with the Thor mask backwards.

“Thor. Hulk. Good to finally meet you guys. I thought you’d be more handsome in person.” Peter them jumped up and hung upside from the ceiling. He lowered himself down slowly as the robber in the Iron Man mask ran at him. He tried to punch at him, but Peter was able to easily dodge the punches.

“Iron Man. Hey, what are you doing robbing a bank? You’re a billionaire.”  _ Not to mention my dad _ , Peter thought as he kept dodging the punches. He didn’t see the robber in the Captain America mask, until he picked up one of the guns and shot Peter with it. It shot out a bright light, that had Peter suspended in the air for a second.

“Hey!” He shouted, trying to wriggle free from whatever it was. “Oh, this feels so weird.” And then he went flying backwards into the wall. “Whoa, what is that thing?” The robber shot at him again and was once again caught in the force field of the device. He grunted as the force threw him back and forth between the ceiling and the floor.

“I’m starting... to think... you’re not... the Avengers!” Peter grunted out. He shot a web at a desk in the corner. He pulled it harder and it slammed in the robber wearing the Captain America mask. He dropped the gun and Peter webbed him up.

“Alright guys, let’s wrap this up,” Peter said with a huff. “It’s a school night.” He kicked one of the robbers into a glass wall, flinching a little when it cracked. Another one of the robbers went to shoot at him, but Peter jumped at him, sticking onto him. The robber wriggled, trying to get Peter off him, the Iron Man mask falling off his face.

“So, how do jerks like you get tech like this?” The guy grunted as another one of the robbers, the one with the Hulk mask grabbed a gun to shoot at them. Peter’s eyes widened. “No. Wait, wait, wait!” Peter quickly pulled the robber and himself out of the way. The blast cut through the nearby walls. Peter’s eyes widened in horror as he saw the blast hit Mr. Delmar’s store across the street. The store suddenly burst into flames.

“Mr. Delmar!” Peter forgot completely about the robbers and ran towards the store. The place was smoking and Peter was having trouble seeing anything around him. “Hey, Mr. Delmar, you in there? Is anybody in here? Hello?” He finally found Mr. Delmar. He was wheezing and coughing. Peter helped him up and then grabbed the cat that was meowing desperately. Once they were outside and away from the fire, Peter turned back to the bank. He sighed angrily when he saw it was empty. He glanced at Mr. Delmar, who was holding his cat and staring sadly at his burning store. Peter took that opportunity to shoot a web and leave.

* * *

He felt bad for Mr. Delmar and hoped that he could get his store back. But then he thought about the robbers and their guns. They were using some serious tech. But how could they get their hands on that? And where had it even come from? Peter had a lot of questions and there was only one person he could call to ask those questions to.

“Uncle Happy!” Peter nearly shouted when Happy finally answered his phone. “The craziest thing just happened to me!” He was running across the top of buildings, back towards where he had left his backpack. “These guys were robbing this ATM with some high-tech weapons,” Happy’s frustrated sigh cut him off.

“Hey, take a breath, okay?” Happy said and Peter did as he was told “I don’t have time for ATM robberies...”

“Yeah, but,” Peter started, but Happy cut him off.

“Or the thoughtful notes you leave behind,” Peter rolled his eyes. He was just doing what his dad told him to do. He had said that Happy was his point person, especially when he wasn’t in town. “I have moving day to worry about. Everything’s gotta be out of here by next week.” Peter stopped immediately in his tracks. Moving day?

“Who’s moving?” He heard Happy snort.

“Kid, don’t you pay attention?” Peter gulped, not liking where this was going. “Your dad is turning Avengers Tower back to Stark Tower. It’s solely for Stark Industries now. We’re moving all the Avengers related stuff to the Compound.” Peter frowned as he climbed down the building he was on into the alleyway. Had his dad mentioned it to him? Or was that why he was so busy? And if everything Avengers related was upstate, was he ever going to be a part of any missions? He didn’t like this feeling of being benched. He wanted to do more.

“I need to talk to my dad,” Peter said quietly. He heard Happy sigh.

“Look, just stay away from anything too dangerous,” Happy said. “I’m responsible for making sure you’re responsible, okay?” Peter scoffed at that comment.

“I am responsible,” Peter said, a tone of indignation in his voice. He looked around suddenly. This was the alleyway that he had left his backpack in, right? “Oh, crap. My backpack’s gone.” He heard Happy snort.

“That doesn’t sound responsible,” Happy pointed out. “Listen kid, it’s getting late and if you’re not back at May’s soon then your dad’s going to make me come hunt you down. So get back to May’s alright?”

“Yeah fine,” Peter grumbled before ending the call. He sighed and tucked his phone away before pulling the mask back on. He needed to talk to his dad. But that was clearly a problem for another time. He shot a web and began to swing back towards May’s apartment, a thousand questions still running through his head.

* * *

Peter huffed as he scaled the walls of the apartment building. He was annoyed that his backpack was gone. He knew he could just buy another one and his dad wouldn’t even blink an eye. But it was the principle of the thing. And he was still wearing his suit.  He opened the window slowly, hoping it didn’t make a noise. As he climbed in, he could see the door to his room was open. He sucked in a breath and paused as Aunt May walked past his room. He scaled the walls towards the door. He dropped the mask on the floor and continued across the ceiling towards the door. He held his breath as he gently closed the door. It closed without a sound and he sighed and dropped down to the ground.

He spun around where he heard a gasp. Because Ned was sitting on his bed. The Lego Death Star he was holding crashed down to the ground, smashing into pieces. Peter’s eyes went wide as he stared back at his best friend.

“What was that?” May called from outside of the room.

“It’s nothing!” Peter shouted back. He stared at Ned. He was so very screwed.

“You’re the Spider-Man,” Ned said staring at him, taking in the suit Peter was wearing “From YouTube.” Peter shook his head desperately.

“I’m not!” He slammed his hand against the spider emblem on his chest. The suit went slack and fell to the ground.

“You were on the ceiling,” Ned said, still staring in shock at him.

“No, I wasn’t!” Peter said. God, didn’t he used to be better at lying. “Ned, what are you doing in my room?” Ned stood up, still glancing at the suit on the ground.

“May let me in,” Ned said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You said we were gonna finish the Death Star.” Peter didn’t remember agreeing to that. Then again, he had tuned Ned out in the hallway when Liz had appeared. God, he was an idiot sometimes.

“You can’t just bust into my room!” Peter hissed, kicking the suit under the bed. Ned was about to respond when May opened the door. She was waving a rag and coughing a little. Clearly she had burned something. Again. Peter smiled awkwardly as she stared at them.

“The turkey meatloaf recipe is a disaster,” May said. “I’ll have to ask Pepper to actually cook it with me next time.” Peter nodded, not able to say anything else. “Let’s go to dinner. Thai? Ned, you want Thai?” Ned smiled.

“Yes.” Peter glanced at him and shook his head.

“No.” Peter said firmly. He could not deal with Ned at dinner right now. “He’s got a thing.”

“A thing to do after,” Ned said with a shrug, Peter up on Peter’s tone. May shrugged.

“Okay,” She said. She then glanced Peter up and down. “Maybe put on some clothes.” Peter nodded and then she closed the door. Peter then grabbed a sweatshirt and pulled it on. Ned glanced at Peter, realization dawning on him.

“Oh, she doesn’t know?”

“Of course May doesn’t know,” Peter said. “Nobody is supposed to know. Except my dad. I mean, he made my suit.”

“Tony Stark made you that?” Ned whispered.

“Dude he’s my dad,” Peter said, grabbing a pair of jeans and pulling them on. Ned had known him since they were seven, and yet he was still star struck by the concept of his dad being Tony Stark. Ned ignored his comment and continued on.

“Are you an Avenger?” Ned asked, a look of excitement on his face. “Like your dad and your uncle?” Peter paused. He certainly wanted to be an Avenger. He knew his dad had said no, but he was certain if the Avengers were needed, he’d be called upon as well.

“Yeah, basically.” Ned gasped and his eyes went wide. Peter smirked and shrugged nonchalantly. Peter then shook his head, realizing this was Ned he was talking to. “You can’t tell anybody about this. You gotta keep it a secret.” His dad would take the suit away if he found out that Ned knew and that Ned found out because he was being careless and irresponsible.

“A secret?” Ned said, shocked by Peter’s statement. “Okay, I’m going to level with you. I don’t think I can keep this a secret. This is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me, Peter!” Peter shook his head and grabbed Ned’s shoulder and shook him a little. He needed Ned to understand why no one, especially not his aunt could know his secret.

“Ned, May cannot know.” Peter said firmly. He thought about everything his aunt had been through. Losing his mom, losing Ben. May could not handle knowing what he was up to. “I cannot do that to her right now, you know? I mean, everything that’s happened with her. Please.” Ned frowned but nodded.

“Okay.” Peter sighed a little and let go of Ned’s shoulders.

“Thank you.” Peter said. He walked away from Ned, running his hands through his hair. He was still a little stressed that Ned had found out, especially the way he had found out. “I can’t believe this is happening right now.”

“Can I try the suit on?” Ned asked, glancing down at where suit was. Peter spun around to face him, a look of shock on his face.

“Dude, no,” Peter said and Ned shrugged.

“How does it work?” Ned asked walking over to Peter. Peter could’ve laughed. Of course, Ned wanted to know how everything worked. “Is it magnets? How do you shoot the strings?” Peter sighed.

“I’m gonna tell you about this at school tomorrow, okay?” Peter said. Ned nodded and they exchanged their usual handshake.

“Great,” Ned said with a smile. “Wait. How do you do this and be an intern at your dad’s company?”

“Dude,” Peter said, as if it was the most obvious thing. “This is the internship.” Ned nodded, his mouth forming the shape of an ‘o’. “Just get out of here.” Peter ushered Ned out of his room. He then closed the door and leaned against it. He slammed his hand against his face and sighed loudly. On top of whatever happened at the bank, all the Avengers stuff apparently being moved upstate, and needing to talk to his dad, Peter know had to worry about Ned knowing his secret.

“Peter let’s go!” May called. Peter sighed before opening the door. All of it would have to be a problem for later.

* * *

After dinner with May and having to stop for a new backpack (May had pointed out that it was fine that his father a billionaire, but he needed to stop losing his backpacks), Peter was sitting at his desk working on his homework. He sighed and dropped the pen in his hand and ran a hand through his hair. He glanced at his cell phone which was charging near him. He needed to call his dad. He glanced at the clock. It was around 10 pm in New York. He did the math in his head, realizing it was around 7 AM in India. He sighed and grabbed the phone and dialed his dad.

“Morning bambino,” Peter smiled a little hearing his dad’s voice. “Or should I say evening?” Peter chuckled a little.

“Hi dad,” He said, leaning back in his desk chair.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Tony asked. “Not that I don’t love hearing from my son.”

“Why are you moving all the Avengers stuff upstate?” Peter asked. He heard his father sigh.

“We have the Compound for a reason,” Tony said. “The Tower was meant for Stark Industries. Pepper and I decided it was time for the Tower to go back to its original purposes.”

“Oh,” Peter said quietly. So they had made this decision without telling him? He slumped down in his chair. He thought being Spider-Man meant knowing more about superhero business. But he was still in the dark, as always.

“It’s for the best Peter,” Tony said. “Besides, we agreed that you were operating in the gray area, remember? Keep Queens safe.” Peter sighed.

“Yeah I know.”

“Listen I have to go get ready for the day,” Tony said. “But we’ll be back in a week and we can talk then okay? I want to hear everything.”

“Okay,” Peter said, not feeling any better than before. “Love you, dad.”

“Love you too squirt,” Tony said. And then the call ended. Peter sighed and put his phone down. He didn’t like being kept in the dark. He was a superhero too. He deserved to know what was going on. He picked up his pen and got back to work, feeling more confused and disappointed than before.


	19. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning, Peter met up with Ned as they headed towards school. Ned, of course, had a million questions. Peter was doing his best to field them, but also his mind was still on his conversation with his dad.

The next morning, Peter met up with Ned as they headed towards school. Ned, of course, had a million questions. Peter was doing his best to field them, but also his mind was still on his conversation with his dad.

“You got bit by a spider?” Ned asked and Peter nodded. “Can it bite me? Well, it probably would’ve hurt, right? You know what? Whatever. Even if it did hurt, I’d let it bite me. Maybe. How much did it hurt?” Peter sighed.

“The spider’s dead, Ned.” Peter then stopped talking as they reached the street where Delmar’s was. His mouth went slack as he stared at the destroyed store.

“Whoa,” Ned whispered and Peter nodded. Delmar’s looked like it had almost been burnt down. Police tape and barricades surrounded the shop. Various police officers and crime scene investigators swarmed around the shop. Peter felt incredibly guilty. If he had been paying better attention, Delmar’s would’ve still been standing. “You were here?” Peter glanced over at Ned and nodded. “You could’ve died.” Peter gulped as the two of them stared at the badly damaged building. Peter felt horrible for what had happened to Delmar’s. And Ned was right, he could’ve been hurt pretty badly. 

“Do you lay eggs?” Peter turned his head as his friend spoke, a confused look his face.

“What?” Peter asked and Ned shrugged “Dude, no” He laughed and Ned couldn’t help but laugh too. The two friends then headed off towards school, Peter trying to push past the thoughts of what happened to Delmar’s.

* * *

Ned asked him a million questions all day. He wanted to know if he could spit venom or summon spiders or how far he could shoot his webs. Peter didn’t mind the questions, especially the web ones. But Ned kept asking him in public, when he had asked him to keep it a secret. But he knew his best friend was just insanely excited about him being Spider-Man. 

They sat in gym class later that day. Peter fought back an eye roll when Coach Wilson put on a video featuring Captain America. Peter was still mad at Cap for stabbing his dad in the back. 

“Wasn’t Spider-Man at that fight in Germany?” Ned asked, leaning over to whisper Peter. Peter nodded. Ned nodded towards the screen. “Did you fight him?”

“Yeah,” Peter said, with a shrug. “I stole his shield.” Ned’s mouth dropped open in shock and Peter smirked. Cap had deserved that and anything else coming to him. The video ended and then they were instructed to find a mat and a partner. Peter and Ned stuck together, picking a mat near the edge of the gym. Peter spotted Michelle, lying on a mat and reading a book. No one could make her do the physical fitness test. Coach Wilson also didn’t really care. Everyone passed gym.

Coach Wilson blew a whistle and Peter began his sit-ups. Ned started asking him a million questions about his abilities and the Avengers, which was silly because Ned had met most of the Avengers in the past. Peter was so focused on trying to shush his best friend, that he didn’t even realize how quickly he was doing his sit-ups.

“Hey, can I be your guy in the chair?” Peter paused at the top of his sit-up and gave his best friend a look.

“What?” Peter asked, before going back to his sit-ups. 

“Yeah,” Ned said excitedly. “You know how there’s a guy with a headset telling the other guy where to go?” Peter made a face as he continued moving up and down, faster than he actually realized. “Like, like if you’re stuck in a burning building, I could tell you where to go. Because there’d be screens around me, and I could, you know, swivel around, and... ‘Cause I could be your guy in the chair.” Peter shook his head as he reached the top of his sit-up again.

“Ned, I don’t need a guy in the chair,” Peter said. He couldn’t tell his best friend how much trouble he would be in if his dad knew that Ned knew. His dad had told him to keep the Spider-Man secret to himself. Only his dad, Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy were supposed to know. He’d be grounded for eternity for Ned finding out. So Ned could not be his guy in the chair.

“Looking good, Parker,” Peter and Ned stopped their conversation as Coach Wilson passed by them. He gave Peter a thumbs up. Peter realized then how fast he was doing his sit-ups. Peter glanced at his gym teacher and frowned. He took a long, huffing breath, trying to make it look like he was exhausted from the sit-ups. In reality, he felt fine. He knew from his testing that he could do upwards of five hundred sit-ups before even breaking a sweat. But he was nerdy Peter Stark; he wasn’t supposed to be physically fit or even good at gym. He decided to pause and act like he was tired. Ned gave him a look and Peter shrugged. Peter lifted his head when his enhanced hearing started to pick up a conversation from around the room. He spotted Betty, Liz, Charles, and Jason sitting on the bleachers. 

“Now, see, for me,” Peter could hear Betty saying “It would be F Thor, marry Iron Man, and kill Hulk.” Peter made a face. He super didn’t like the idea of Betty Brant wanting to marry his dad. Even if it was just for a game.

“Well, what about the Spider-Man?” Charles asked. Peter glanced over at them, hearing his alter-egos name.

“It’s just Spider-Man.” Peter breathed out a sigh of relief. He hadn’t considered Spider-Man being part of those kinds of games. It made him a little uncomfortable to think about. 

“Did you guys see the bank security cam video on YouTube?” Liz asked. “Spider-Man fought off like four guys.” Peter glanced at Ned, who raised his eyebrows.

“Oh my god,” Betty said, attempting to whisper, but the amateur journalist was doing anything but whispering. “She’s totally crushing on Spider-Man.” Liz blushed and shrugged.

“Kind of?” Peter’s eyes went wide and Ned gasped a little. He started poking Peter’s foot and Peter ignored him. Liz had a crush on Spider-Man? He felt his heart beat pick up.

“Ugh gross,” Betty said wrinkling her nose. “What if he’s like 30?” Liz shook her head and smiled, the boys snorting at Betty’s comment. 

“Or what if he’s like seriously burned,” Charles pointed out. “I mean, he does wear that mask all the time.” Liz shrugged and smiled. Peter felt his heart beat faster.

“I wouldn’t care,” She said, her voice sounding a little dreamy. “I would still love him for the person he is on the inside.” Peter smiled, a goofy dumb smile. Maybe Spider-Man needed to accidentally run into Liz. A confident superhero could totally talk to Liz Allen. Because he certainly couldn’t.

“Peter knows Spider-Man!” Peter’s eyes went wide and he turned to face Ned. His mouth dropped open in shock. He could not believe Ned had said that. Sure, it wasn’t as bad as Ned screaming that he was Spider-Man. He wanted to smack Ned’s arm. But Liz, Betty, Charles and Jason were staring at them. “They’re friends.”

“Yeah like Coach Wilson is friends with Captain America,” Flash said walking over. Peter glared at Ned before standing up. 

“I-I’ve met him,” Peter said, walking towards them. “A-a couple of times. It’s um through my internship at Stark Industries.” He glanced back at Ned, shooting his friend a glare. “I’m not supposed to talk about it.” He glanced back at them. Flash was leveling him with a look that said he didn’t believe him. Flash snorted but then a malicious look crossed his face.

“Well then,” Flash said. Peter gulped, not liking where this was going. “Maybe you should invite him to Liz’s party?” Peter’s eyes widened and Flash smirked. Peter glanced at Liz who smiled at him.

“Yeah, I’m having people over tonight,” Liz said with a slight shrug. “You’re more than welcome to come.” Peter gaped a little at her. Was Liz Allen really inviting him to a party? Him? Dorky Peter Stark?

“H-Having a party?” Peter stuttered out and Liz nodded.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be dope,” Flash said with a smirk. “You should totally invite your personal friend Spider-Man.” Peter gulped a little and stuttered over his words.

“It’s okay,” Liz said with a shrug. “I know Peter’s way too busy for parties anyway, so,” Peter attempted a polite smile at Liz. He knew she was trying to help him out. But he also knew Flash wasn’t going to let him off easy.

“He’ll be there,” Flash said, wearing a cocky smirk. “Right, Peter?” The bell rang suddenly and Flash sauntered off. Betty walked off with Jason and Charles, whispering to them. Liz glanced at Peter before walking away. Once they were gone, Peter threw his hands up in frustration. He spun around and shot Ned a glare.,

“What are you doing?” He hissed at Ned as Ned approached him. 

“Helping you out,” Ned said, whispering to him. “Did you not hear her? Liz has a crush on you!” Peter blew out a frustrated breath. Liz liked Spider-Man not him. There was no way she’d still like Spider-Man if she knew it was Peter underneath the mask. “Dude, you’re an Avenger. If any one of us has a chance with a senior girl, it’s you.” Ned then walked away. Peter stood there contemplating his options. If he didn’t show up, Flash would never stop bothering him. But if he did, what was he supposed to do? Just run off and throw his suit on? He sighed and exited the gym. He had no idea what to do.

* * *

Peter and Ned stood outside of Liz’s house. Peter was nervous, to say the least. May and Ned had tried to cheer him up in the car, but Peter was freaking out. The last time he went to a party was Rebecca’s birthday party in seventh grade and that had gone disastrously. And of course, Flash was going to be at this party too. He could only imagine the kind of embarrassment Flash had in store for him.

“Dude you have the suit right?” Ned asked, glancing over at Peter. He didn’t seem to notice how nervous Peter was. Peter nodded and pulled up the sleeve of his button-down shirt, revealing the suit. Ned smiled and nodded. “This is going to change our lives!” Ned then opened the door and they walked in. 

Liz’s house was fancy. Not as fancy as the Tower, but it was clear her family had money. There paintings, a few fancy vases with flowers, and some other decorative pieces. Peter didn’t see any pictures of her family, but wondered if Liz had taken then down. Peter glanced around the party and fought back an eye roll when he saw that Flash was DJing. Because of course Flash was a DJ.

“Okay,” Ned said, getting his attention. “We’re gonna have Spider-Man swing in, say you guys are tight, and then I get a fist bump or one of those half bro-hugs.” Peter sighed. He still wasn’t sure this was a good idea. 

“Can’t believe you guys are at this lame party,” They turned to see Michelle. She was standing in the kitchen, putting ham on a slice of toast. Peter glanced at Ned, both of them confused by her remark.

“But you’re here too,” Ned pointed out. Michelle smirked.

“Am I?” She asked, before taking a bite of her toast. She then turned and walked off. Peter was about to turn and say something to Ned, when Liz approached them.

“Hey, guys,” Liz said, smiling at them. “Cool hat, Ned.” Ned smiled, nodding appreciatively.

“Hi, Liz,” Peter winced at little at how high-pitched and squeaky his voice came out as. It was clear he was nervous.

“I’m so happy you guys came.” Peter attempted to smile, still too nervous for words. “There’s pizza and drinks. Help yourself.” Ned nodded.

“What a great party,” Peter said, trying to speak again. He felt his ears grow red, embarrassed by how much of a fool he was making of himself. Liz just smiled at him.

“Thanks.” She started to say something else, when the sound of breaking glass cut her off. “My parents will kill me if anything’s broken.” Peter nodded. “Have fun.” Peter nodded, still too embarrassed to speak. Liz then walked away. Ned poked Peter’s arm and Peter glanced at him.

“Dude, what are you doing?” Ned said. “Spider it up!” 

“Spider-Man is not a party trick, okay?” Peter said, frowning at Ned.  “Look, I’m just going to... be myself.” It was a bad idea to just flaunt Spider-Man at this party. It wasn’t going to prove anything to anyone. Besides, his dad would totally take the suit away if he did do it.

“Peter, no one wants that,” Ned said with a sigh. Peter made a face and looked at his best friend. He felt a little hurt by the remark.

“Dude.” Ned shrugged and Peter walked away. He had the suit on, but he still didn’t think he should use it. Until Flash spoke up.

“Penis, what’s up?” Peter glared at Flash, as Flash mocked him using the microphone. “So, where’s your pal Spider-Man? Let me guess. In Canada with your imaginary girlfriend?” He could hear people laughing. Peter’s face flushed in embarrassment and he walked out of the room. He could hear Flash still mocking him. And that made up Peter’s mind.

He snuck into the bathroom and opened the window. He snuck out the window and headed towards the next house. He quickly scaled the house and made his way to the roof. He couldn’t let Flash win. He was tired of Flash making his life difficult. He quickly shed his clothing and shoved it into his backpack.

“Hey, what’s up?” Peter said, trying to make his voice sound deeper. “I’m Spider-Man. Just thought I’d swing by and say hello to my buddy Peter. Oh, what’s up, Ned? Hey, where’s Peter, anyways? He must be around…” Peter sighed and shook his head. He sounded stupid. His plan was stupid. What was he even thinking? He could see, from his perch on the roof, into the party. Everyone was having a good time. They wouldn’t notice if he showed up or not. Besides Ned, no one really cared if he was there or not. He sighed.

But then, he spotted Ned. Ned was looking around, trying to find him. He knew Ned wasn’t using Spider-Man for his own benefit. Sure, high school would be easier if they were popular. But Ned was also just trying to help him. Because Ned had to listen to him every day pine over Liz. He needed to do this; at least to show his best friend that he was trying.

But then a flash of blue caught his eye. And Peter knew there were more important problems to deal with. Problems only Spider-Man could resolve.

So he pulled the mask on swung off. Ned would forgive him.


	20. Cosmic Karma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Pepper were at a wedding in India. One of the heads of their international offices was getting married. Tony personally didn’t care to be there. He was a little worried about Peter. Clearly, there was something bothering his son when they had talked on the phone.

Tony and Pepper were at a wedding in India. One of the heads of their international offices was getting married. Tony personally didn’t care to be there. He was a little worried about Peter. Clearly, there was something bothering his son when they had talked on the phone. Pepper tapped his arm.

“Everything alright?” She asked gently. Tony shrugged.

“Worried about Peter,” He said. “I know we talked about leaving tomorrow morning, but can we head home after this?” Pepper smiled a little but nodded. Tony sighed and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.” Pepper went to say something, when Tony’s watch started to beep. Tony tapped his sunglasses. “FRIDAY?”

“Boss it appears Peter is showing signs of distress,” Tony’s eyes widened and he got up. “He also seems to be under attack.”

“Send a suit Fri,” Tony said, as he moved away from the crowd. He glanced back at Pepper, before turning away, trying to calm himself down.

“His parachute has been deployed boss,” FRIDAY said. Tony grabbed at his shirt, trying to steady his breathing, which had suddenly picked up.

“Get that suit their faster Fri,” Tony said, through gritted teeth. He breathed through his nose, trying to calm himself down.

“The suit has him boss.” Tony breathed a sigh of relief.

“Connect me to the suit Fri,” Tony tapped his glasses and then he was seeing what the suit could see. They were flying over a small river in Queens, near a playground. He glanced down, seeing Peter, in his suit, being held by the armpits. He breathed out a sigh of relief.

“ _ Huh? _ ” He realized then that Peter must have passed out. The suit looked wet, which probably meant Peter crashed into the water when the parachute deployed. “ _ Oh, hi dad _ .” Tony felt a little bad, as he wasn’t actually there. He directed the suit to fly them towards the playground. He found a monkey bar structure and gently placed Peter down. Peter pulled his mask off, because it was sopping wet and wrung it out. The suit hovered over the monkey bar structure.

“You okay bambino?” Tony asked and Peter nodded. “What happened?” And then Peter launched into a long tale of what was going on in Queens. Tony fought back a sigh. Apparently, someone was running around selling high-tech weapons to every criminal in Queens. It stressed him out to think his son was getting involved in this.

“ _ And then this guy with these massive metal wings, like bigger than Falcon’s, showed up. And then he just, he just, like, swooped down like a monster and he picked me up and, uh, he took me up, like, a thousand feet and just dropped me. _ ” Tony breathed through his nose, wondering if letting his son do this was okay anymore. He certainly felt like he was going to have a heart attack just listening to his son. He sighed and rubbed his temple.

“ _ How’d you find me _ ?” Peter asked, glancing up at his suit. “ _ Did you put a tracker in my suit _ ?” Tony sighed.

“I put everything in your suit,” Tony said, glancing down at his watch. “Including this heater.” Tony pressed a button and he saw Peter shiver in satisfaction as some steam rose off his suit.

“That’s better,” Peter said, sighing a little. “Thanks dad.”

“What were you thinking?” Tony rubbed his temple, trying to understand his son’s reasoning. Couldn’t he just, not get involved in this?

“ _ The guy with the wings is obviously the source of the weapons _ ,” Peter said. “ _ I gotta take him down _ .” Tony nearly screamed. No, that was the exact opposite of what his son needed to do. Tony took a breath, trying to calm down.

“Take him down?” Tony repeated. “Nah uh, there are people who handle this sort of thing.”

“ _ The Avengers _ ?” Tony couldn’t help but wince at the mention of the team. No, definitely not the Avengers. Cap had betrayed him and the rest, besides Scott Lang and Clint, were on the run.

“This is a little below their pay grade,” Tony said, not wanting to talk about that right now. Peter nodded, seemingly going along with it.

“ _ Well, you didn’t have to come all the way out here dad _ ,” Peter said. “ _ I had that. I was fine _ .” Tony sighed.

“I’m not here bambino,” Tony said. He pressed a button and he heard the helmet of the suit open. It was showing Peter that the suit was empty. No, he was still in India at a wedding. When he should have been home. He looked around and spotted Pepper talking to someone. She noticed him staring and headed over to him. “Thank God this place has Wi-Fi or you would be toast right now. Thank Ganesh while you’re at it.” Pepper approached him.

“Time to go?” She whispered and he nodded. She nodded and walked off, to go get their things. Tony sighed and turned back away from the wedding guests.

“Look, forget the flying vulture guy, please,” Tony said, He really needed his son to just leave this alone. This definitely sounded too dangerous for his fifteen-year-old son to be dealing with. Not to mention, if he tried to deal with it, it would probably drive Tony to a nervous breakdown.

“ _ Why _ ?” Peter asked and Tony sputtered in response.

“Why?” Tony asked, a little angry and shocked by his son’s response. “Because I said so!” He noticed Peter flinch at his tone. A woman approached him with a flower garland, but seemed a little startled as well by his tone. He turned to her, as she placed the garland around his neck. “Sorry, I’m talking to a teenager.” She didn’t say anything, just walked away. “We agreed on this. Stay close to the ground. Build up your game helping little people, like that lady that bought you the churro. Can’t you just be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?”

“ _ But I’m ready for more than that now _ .” Peter said. Tony sighed. Peter had been Spider-Man for around a year. But he had only had the suit for six or so months. He was definitely not ready for more.

“No, you are not.” Through the glasses, he could see the frustration on his son’s face.

“ _ That is not what you thought when I took on Captain America _ ,” Peter said, his voice sounding a little childish.

“Trust me, kid,” Tony said, rubbing his temple again. He could feel a headache coming on. Why was his kid being difficult? “If Cap wanted to lay you out, he would’ve.” Peter crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled something to himself. Tony saw Pepper waiting in the car. He walked over and got into the driver’s seat. “Listen to me. If you come across these weapons again, call Happy.” He revved the car a little.

“ _ Are you driving _ ?” Peter asked incredulously. Pepper glanced at him and Tony sighed.

“You know,” Tony said, hoping to distract his son with literally anyything else. “It’s never too early to start thinking about college. We could take a visit to MIT. Your uncle and I would love it if you went there.”

“ _ But dad _ !” Peter said, trying to get his attention.

“We’ll talk when I get home,” Tony said. “Love you.” And then he ended the call. He sighed and glanced at Pepper. She gave him a look, that was somewhat sympathetic but also seemed to say ‘I told you so’.

“So how’s Peter?” Pepper asked.

“Was this what I put you through for years?” Tony asked. Pepper pursed her lips. “I’d say this is karma, but I’m too worried about my kid.” Pepper reached over and gently squeezed his hand.

“Then let’s go home,” Pepper said and Tony nodded appreciatively. He then started to drive, going a little faster than normal. He needed to get home and see his son and convince him to take a breath and not do anything stupid.

But if his son was anything like him, then he had a lot of reasons to be worried.

* * *

Peter was definitely frustrated after the call with his dad. He wanted to be taken seriously. He wanted to do more. And his dad just wanted him to help old ladies who gave him churros. But the guy with the wings was trouble. And that was clear when they came to his school looking for, as Ned called it, ‘the glowy thing’. Peter had obviously been freaked out because they had tracked the thing to his school.

But then he remembered his was the son of a literal genius and did something about it. He placed a little tracker, in the shape of a spider on them. Because they were just the lackeys. He needed to find their boss. Which is exactly what he and Ned were doing.

He had caught Ned up on the whole situation in shop class, before the two guys showed up. They wanted to stay at school and look closer at the core. But after the guys showing up, they had to track them.

And his dad was home.

So they were at the Tower. Ned was tracking the guy’s movements on Peter’s web shooters.

“This is so awesome,” Ned said, staring at a hologram of the city. Peter heard footsteps and turned to Ned.

“Hide it!” He said. Ned pressed a button and then tucked the web shooter under a pillow. Ned leaned back against the pillow and Peter sat at his desk. And then Tony opened the door.

“Hey kiddo, hey Ned.”

“Hi Mr. Stark,” Ned said, waving to Tony.

“Think I can talk to you for a second Peter?” Peter nodded and get up. He exited the room with his dad. Tony placed his hand on Peter’s shoulder. “I missed you, bambino.”

“Missed you too dad,” Peter said, smiling slightly. “Hey, can Ned sleep over tonight?”

“If it’s okay with his mom,” Tony said. Peter nodded, glad he and Ned could keep tracking the guy with the wings and his operation. They reached the living room and Tony nodded to the couch. Peter sat down and Tony sat down next to him. “So squirt, I just wanted to talk to you again about our conversation last night.”

“About how you want me to stay close to the ground,” Peter said, glancing down at his feet. Tony sighed and put his hand on Peter’s shoulder. Peter looked up at his dad. He had a look on concern on his face.

“I just want you to be safe,” Tony said. “I let you keep the suit because I figured you’d find a way to keep doing this anyways. And at least the suit will keep you safe. But you’re young Peter. There’s more to life than just being a superhero.” Peter sighed. What he wanted to say was that he didn’t believe that. That for the last eight years, his father had been a superhero and that had been one of his sole focuses. But he knew that wasn’t what his dad wanted to hear.

“I know,” Peter said. “I’ll be safe. And I’ll stay close to the ground.” Tony smiled and kissed Peter’s forehead. “Can I go back to hanging out with Ned now?” Tony chuckled and nodded. Peter got up from the couch.

“Don’t stay up too late,” Tony said. “Love you, kiddo.”

“Love you too dad,” Peter said, before jogging back down to his room. He opened the door and walked into his room. Ned had the web shooter back out and was staring at the hologram.

“Dude!” Peter said, closing the door quickly. “Anyone could have walked in!”

“Sorry,” Ned said. “But it started beeping.” He pointed to the hologram. Peter moved closer and inspected it. “They stopped.” Peter stared at the map trying to understand the coordinates.

“Maryland?” Peter asked, staring at the map. Ned looked closely at it as well.

“What’s there?”

“I don’t know. Evil lair?”

“They have a lair?” Peter snorted and turned to face his best friend.

“Dude,” Peter started, an air of superiority to his tone. “A gang with alien guns run by a guy with wings? Yeah, they have a lair.” Ned nodded and smirked.

“Badass,” He said and Peter nodded. “But how are you going to get there if it’s, like, 300 miles away?” Peter tapped his chin and walked away from the bed and towards his desk. He spotted the flyer for Nationals for Academic Decathlon. He picked it up and handed it to Ned.

“It’s not too far from D.C.”

* * *

Tony sat in his bed trying to read something on his StarkPad. But every time he tried to focus, his mind kept going back to his son. He sighed and leaned his head back against the headboard.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He glanced at the bathroom door, where Pepper was standing.

“Worried about my kid,” Tony said. “What’s new?” Pepper nodded and walked around the bed to where he was sitting. Tony moved so his feet were touching the ground and he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Pepper took the StarkPad from his hands and put it on the nightstand. Tony then wrapped his arms around her legs, gently brushing them against the soft fabric of her pajama pants.

“You wouldn’t be a good dad if you weren’t worried about him,” Pepper said, gently running a hand through his hair. “He’s going to be okay. And if he’s not, you’ll be there for him.” Tony sighed and nodded. He gently pulled Pepper down so that she was sitting on his lap. She laughed lightly.

“Thank you,” He murmured. “I really appreciate you being a voice of reason and not telling me how irresponsible it is to give my fifteen-year-old son a billion-dollar suit.” Pepper sighed.

“It’s like you said,” Pepper said, tapping his shoulder. “He’d do it with or without the suit. And he is your son. Cosmic karma, I suppose.” Tony rolled his eyes. “You’re a good dad Tony. I’ve known that for the last sixteen years. It’s one of the things I love about you.”

“Oh really?” Tony asked and Pepper nodded. “And what are some of the other things you love about me?” Pepper rolled her eyes but smiled. Tony leaned towards her and kissed her gently. Pepper wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him a little closer to her.

“Boss,” Tony sighed, pulling away from Pepper. “Peter is at the door.” Pepper gave Tony a look.

“Enhanced hearing,” Tony said, before patting Pepper’s leg. She got up and walked around to her side of the bed. “You can come in Peter.” The door opened and Peter walked in. He smiled sheepishly at the two adults.

“Sorry for, um, interrupting,” Tony chuckled a little. His son’s current stance reminded him of the first time Peter had walked into his room when Pepper had stayed the night.

“It’s fine kiddo,” Tony said, getting off the bed. “What’s up?”

“So nationals for the Academic Decathlon is this weekend,” Peter said. “And I was kind of hoping I could go? If that’s okay with you.”

“I thought you didn’t want to go,” Tony said.

“I changed my mind,” Peter said. “The team needs me.” Tony smiled a little. “Please dad?”

“Yeah of course you can go,” Tony said. “I’ll call your teacher in the morning to let him know.” Peter smiled and then hugged his dad. Tony hugged him back before letting him go. “Now get some rest so you can go win that competition.” Peter smiled before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Tony turned towards the bed.

“Sounds like he’s just fine,” Pepper said. Tony smiled and walked over before lying down on the bed.

“Seems like it,” Tony said. Pepper scooted down from a seated position until she was curled against his side, her head on his shoulder. “Thank you honey.” She smiled and nodded as Tony wrapped his arm around her. Tony breathed a small sigh of relief. Maybe Peter was listening to him and was going to focus on other things besides Spider-Man. Maybe his kid would just be an ordinary teenager and not just a superhero.

Tony slowly drifted off to sleep, feeling a little less worried about his son.


	21. DC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nearly sixteen hours later, it was clear Peter was in over his head.

Peter jogged up to the bus the next day, Ned in tow. He was glad his dad was fine with him going to DC. He felt a little bad for lying about why he wanted to go, but he knew it was for the best. The two was waiting outside of the bus, everyone in their yellow Decathlon jackets. Except Michelle, because Michelle did things her way.

“Hey it’s Peter!” Abe said, waving at Peter. Peter smiled and waved back as he approached the team.

“Hey guys,” Peter said, smiling a little. The whole team was looking at him with a smile, that made Peter feel a little bit guiltier.

“Peter?” Liz asked, turning around to face him. Was that a look of hope on her face? Was she actually happy to see him?

“Uh yeah,” Peter said, awkwardly fidgeting with his hands. “I was, uh, hoping to rejoin the team for Nationals.” Liz smiled and shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“No way!” The comment came from Flash who stalked towards Peter. Peter instinctively took a step back. “You can’t just quit on us, stroll up, and be welcomed back by everyone.” Peter went to say something, but was saved by Mr. Harrington.

“Hey, welcome back Peter,” Mr. Harrington said, smiling at Peter. “Flash, you’re back to first alternate.”

“What?” Flash said, a look of annoyance and anger on his face. Everyone snickered as Mr. Harrington ushered the team onto the bus. Flash angrily pulled the jacket off and shoved it at Peter. Peter took the jacket wordlessly, as Flash stalked onto the bus.

“I’m really glad you’re back,” Liz said with a small smile before getting on the bus. Peter smiled and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Once they got to DC, he had a job to do. But he had one other problem to solve before he could do that.

* * *

“Peter why are we removing the tracker from your suit?” Ned and Peter were in the hotel room they were sharing for the weekend. Peter’s suit was on one half of his bed, Peter kneeling in front of it. He had a wire in one hand and a flashlight in his mouth. Ned was sitting on his bed, staring at code on his computer. Peter took the flashlight out of his mouth and held it in the available hand.

“Because I have to follow these guys and I don’t really want my dad finding out,” Peter said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“So you’re lying to Iron Man now?” Ned asked. “Or you’re lying to your dad now? Because neither sounds great.” Peter shot Ned a look.

“My dad just doesn’t get what I can do,” Peter said. Finally, he found the small tracking device. He used a pair of tweezers to gently remove it. He then placed it on the lamp in the hotel room. “Have fun tracking that lamp.” Ned shook his head and Peter looked over at him. He wasn’t sure if Ned understood why this was so important to him either. But at least Ned was helping him and not hindering him.

“There’s a ton of other subsystems in here,” Ned said as he read through the code on the screen. Peter looked at him, wondering what he meant. How much had his dad put into the suit? Ned then snorted. “But they’re all disabled by the Training Wheels Protocol.

“What?” Peter shouted, sounding offended. Peter moved closer to Ned to see the screen. The words “Training Wheels Protocol” flashed across the screen. Peter huffed in frustration as Ned laughed.

“Turn it off!” Peter said, moving away from Ned. Ned just shook his head and Peter frowned.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ned said, glancing back at the coding. “I mean, they’re probably blocked for a reason.” Peter crossed his arms and his frown only grew.

“Come on, dude,” Peter said, a slight whine in his voice. “I don’t need training wheels.” Ned gave Peter a look and Peter huffed, annoyed. He stepped onto his bed and jumped up and down a bit. “I’m sick of my dad treating me like a kid all the time. It’s not cool.” Ned gave Peter a pointed look.

“But you are a kid.”

“Yeah, a kid who can stop a bus with his bare hands.” Peter countered and Ned made a face. Peter jumped down off the bed. Peter needed Ned to understand how important this was to him. He didn’t need to be held back by some ridiculous protocol. He was Spider-Man; he could handle anything. “Look, please. This is my chance to prove myself. I can handle it. Ned, come on.”

“I really don’t think this is a good idea.” Ned said, uncertainty in his voice. Peter knelt down next to Ned and put his hands together, like he was begging. Ned rolled his eyes.

“The guy in the chair,” Peter whispered. Ned sighed but nodded and Peter jumped up, a smile on his face. His smile only grew as he watched Ned type away, hacking into the coding and shutting off the Training Wheels Protocol.

Because he didn’t need it. He knew exactly what he was doing.

* * *

Nearly sixteen hours later, it was clear Peter was in over his head. He had tracked the guys who had showed up at his school to an abandoned gas station, where they tried to hijack a truck. Peter tried to stop them, but the scary winged dude showed up again and knocked Peter out, causing Peter to get stuck in the most secure building on the Eastern Seaboard.

And he had gone through all of that instead of hanging out with Liz. Big mistake.

His suit’s full abilities were cool though. Being stuck in a secure building, gave him the opportunity to figure it all out. He shouldn’t have been surprised that there was an AI in his suit, but he was surprised that the AI wasn’t FRIDAY. It meant that his dad had built him his own AI. And, his dad hadn’t even named the AI, which meant he got to do it! He went with Karen, because she sounded like a nice aunt type and Karen sounded like the name of someone’s aunt. Going through all of the suit’s capabilities made Peter realize how much his dad had put into the suit. Which only made him feel guiltier.

But that guilt disappeared when he realized he had tasked his best friend with a bomb.

Once he got out of the secure building, he had to get back to DC, which took time. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he finally reached Ned, but then Liz took the phone before he could tell Ned about the glowy thing. And he didn’t have time to process the fact that he had a semi-normal conversation with Liz or the fact that she said she was worried about him.

Because they were inside the Washington Monument. With a bomb.

Peter reached the monument to see that something was very, very wrong inside. He was able to scan building and see that the problem was coming from the elevator, which was near the top.

“My friends are up there!” He turned, very glad to be in the Spider-Man suit, to see Michelle. He was, first, started to see that she looked up upset. But then he realized that meant that the problem in the elevator was the team, including Ned who had a very explosive device in his backpack.

“What?” He shouted and she shot him a look of panic. “Uh, I mean, don’t worry ma’am. Everything is going to be okay.” He then ran towards the monument, knocking into people as he did. “Oh my god, that’s high.” He took a breath before climbing. He tried to move as fast as possible, the fear of what would happen in the elevator motivating him. This was all one big mess. A mess that he caused and that he had to solve.

“The occupants are in imminent mortal danger,” Karen said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“I’m going as fast as I can!” Peter shouted, continuing to climb. His chest felt tight and he was panting. He was wondering if the shortness of breath was coming from the fear of how high he was or the fear of his best friend, Liz, and the rest of the team dying because of him.

“You now have 125 seconds until catastrophic failure.” Karen’s voice startled him and Peter’s hand slipped. He shouted in shock and grabbed tighter onto the building.

“Why?” Peter asked, trying to climb faster. The eyes of his suit then showed the elevator. He could see the park rangers attempting to rescue his classmates. But he could also see their attempts were making the elevator move, which was causing the problem.

“How do I get in there?” Peter asked, desperately, looking around for a window or something to help him.

“Activating reconnaissance drone.” The emblem of his suit then detached and a small spider-shaped robot flew away. Peter stared at it in shock. Had that been there the whole time? Clearly, he had not been using his suit to the full abilities.

“Proceed to southwest window,” Karen instructed. Peter nodded to himself and started moving to the other side of the monument. When he reached the window, he glanced down and let out a small wail. He was very high up. Was he afraid of heights? He took a shaky breath and turned around so that his back and the tips of his fingertips were pressed against the stone.

“What's wrong?” Karen asked. Her voice sounded kind. Could AI’s sound kind? JARVIS had always sounded polite, but he was modeled after his dad’s former butler. And from the stories his father had told him, Edwin Jarvis was the world’s politest human being, at least in his dad’s eyes. But then again, it always seemed like the original Jarvis couldn’t do wrong in his dad’s eyes. Peter took another shaky breath. “You've reached the southwest window. Why are you hesitating?”

“I've just never been this high before,” Peter squeaked out. He forced himself to not look down and tried to slow his breathing down.

“You have also not reinstalled your parachute, so a fall from this height would most likely be lethal.” Peter slammed his lips shut, trying not to release the panicked shout that was bubbling up from his throat. He just nodded to himself and moved closer to the window. He kicked it as hard as he could.

It didn’t budge.

“Why is it not breaking?” He asked desperately.

“It's a four-inch ballistic glass,” Karen informed him. “You'll have to create more momentum.” Peter blew out a frustrated breath. He climbed up a little higher and shot a web. He then swung down, feet first into the window. The glass cracked, but only slightly. He would’ve kept going, but suddenly there was a police chopper. They were shouting at him and Peter was shouting back. He just needed to get inside and help his classmates. He could see the elevator was growing less and less secure. Those still inside, which included Ned and Liz, were growing more and more panicked. He ignored the shouts of the police officers and their guns and climbed to the top of the monument. He perched at the top. He knew he needed momentum. And there was only one way to do.

“Oh, I'm gonna die,” Peter whined. And then he jumped backwards towards the helicopter. He opened his arms, web-wings opening up and helping him glide over and under the helicopter. He shot a web at the skid of the helicopter and used it to go flying feet first towards the window. “Break!”

And the window shattered into pieces and Peter swung inside. Just as the elevator started to fall. Hearing the screams of Ned and Liz, Peter shot a few webs, latching onto the elevator. He pulled tight, the elevator not moving. Once the elevator felt a little secure, Peter lowered himself into the elevator upside down.

“Hey, how you doing?” He said, the eyes of his mask locking with Liz’s eyes. He was trying to deepen his voice, but he was pretty sure he just sounded like the guy from the movie “Taxi”. “Don't worry about it. I got you.”

“Yes!” Ned shouted, pumping his fists and jumping up and down. The elevator began to wobble a little.

“Hey, big guy, quit moving around.” Peter said, glancing at Ned. Ned nodded and apologized. Peter then slowly started pulling the elevator back up the shaft towards where the rest of the class was. A park ranger ran to the open door. They helped Mr. Harrington out first, followed by Ned. Peter’s eyes widened a little as he could feel the metal holding the elevator starting to bend.

“Go, go, go.” Peter said to Liz. She bit her lip and stared at him.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Peter nodded and Liz reached for Mr. Harrington’s hand. But then the metal bar that the elevator was resting on snapped. Liz screamed as the elevator started to fall, with her in it. The rest of the team and Mr. Harrington screamed in horror. But Peter was fast, and webbed her wrist. She looked up at him, fear in her eyes as she dangled by her wrist.

“You’re okay.” Peter assured her. He helped Liz up to safety. Everyone rushed towards her, wanting to make sure she was okay. Liz stared at him and Peter knew she was only staring because it was Spider-Man. She would’ve never cared if she knew it was him under the mask.

“This is your chance, Peter,” Karen said, her voice only audible to her. Peter was still dangling upside down in the elevator shaft. Liz was still staring at him, the look of fear slowly dropping away, replaced by a look that Peter couldn’t place “Kiss her.” Peter wished he could. He wished he was confident enough to kiss Liz Allen. He wished she could actually like him and not just like Spider-Man.

It didn’t matter, because his web snapped and Peter dropped down the elevator shaft. He slammed his lips together, trying not to shout or make any sound. He just shot a web to a wall and barely avoided hitting the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief and lowered himself down until he was sitting on the floor. He sighed. What a weekend.

* * *

The whole bus ride home, everyone talked about the incident at the Washington Monument. The only people who had nothing to say on the matter was Michelle, who everyone claimed was lucky she wasn’t inside, and Peter. Peter had managed to convince Mr. Harrington and the rest of the team that he had missed nationals because he had been vomiting. And since he looked pale when the group came back to the hotel, they all believed him. Mr. Harrington did warn him that if he didn’t tell the truth next time, he could get into serious trouble. Peter had nodded wordlessly and had spent the bus ride worrying.

He had two things on his mind. The first was how to find the winged guy and his crew. They were clearly up to no good and they had to be stopped. Tracking them to DC had been a bit of a failure, but he hoped that with his suit’s new capabilities he could find them faster.

The other reason he was worried, and the main reason why he looked so pale, was his dad. He knew his dad was probably aware of what Spider-Man did in DC. There were news crews there when he snuck away from the Washington Monument. He was sure the story was already all over the place. It was certainly trending all over Twitter. And while he wanted to be happy, he was terrified of what his dad was going to say.

When they reached the school, he realized he didn’t have to wait long. He was the last one off the bus because he assumed Happy was just waiting for him in the car as always. But he was wrong.

“Peter,” He turned to see his dad and Pepper approaching. There was a look of concern on both of their faces. Peter walked over to his dad and Tony pulled him tightly into a hug. Peter hugged him back, burying his face in the button-up shirt his dad was wearing. He let out a small sigh of relief. He finally let go and looked up at his dad. “Let’s head home, okay?” Peter nodded. His dad led the way to the car. Pepper placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He smiled a little at her and she kissed the side of his head gently.

When they got into the car, Pepper sat up front in the passenger seat. Peter could see that Happy was driving. Peter climbed into the backseat, sitting next to his dad. He could tell his dad wanted to say something. Peter just leaned his head against his dad’s shoulder and closed his eyes. He heard his dad sigh, but then he gently started carding his hand through Peter’s hair. Peter nuzzled a little closer to his dad trying to get comfortable.

“I’m glad you’re safe bambino.” It was barely above a whisper, but Peter knew his dad had done that on purpose. His dad had taken to whispering things to Peter because of his enhanced hearing. Peter felt himself drifting off to sleep and, for a moment, he was glad for the peace and quiet.


	22. The Ferry Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter had rushed out of the tower the next morning. He knew his dad wanted to talk to him about DC. But he wanted to avoid that for a little while. So he had grabbed breakfast, barely giving his dad and Pepper a hug and then rushed off to school. He knew he couldn’t avoid the conversation for long, but he needed more time to stop the winged guy and his crew. And he had a plan.

Peter had rushed out of the tower the next morning. He knew his dad wanted to talk to him about DC. But he wanted to avoid that for a little while. So he had grabbed breakfast, barely giving his dad and Pepper a hug and then rushed off to school. He knew he couldn’t avoid the conversation for long, but he needed more time to stop the winged guy and his crew. And he had a plan. May was most likely working the day shift. So he was going to sneak out a school and plot his next move at her apartment.

But then Principal Morita caught him and gave him detention.

He could barely stand sitting in that room. He needed to stop the people trying to weaponize all crooks and thieves in Queens. Not to mention, he hated the detention videos because they had Cap in them. Maybe it was because of Germany, but he felt Cap sounded so righteous and obnoxious in those videos. So he ditched detention. He didn’t care. He had more important things to worry about.

He was glad he had Karen, who clearly understood the capabilities of his suit better. He certainly didn’t like the fact that the protocol recording everything in his suit was called ‘The Baby Monitor Protocol’ because he wasn’t a baby and it annoyed him to think that his dad saw him as such. But it was useful and it helped him track down Aaron Davis, who, after mocking him, told him where the winged guy and his crew were going to be.

Which was why Peter was currently hiding on the 11 AM Staten Island Ferry.

He had dronie keep an eye on one guy, while he watched the other. They were searching for a white pickup truck. Once he found the truck and them, he knew he was going to have to swing in and stop them.

“Incoming call from dad,” Karen said, interrupting his plan of attack.

“What?” He nearly shouted. “No, Karen! Don’t answer.” But it was too late. His AI answer the call. An image of his dad came into view.

“Hey kiddo,” Tony said. “Got a second?” Peter tried to concentrate back and forth between his dad and the guys on the ferry. They were heading to where the cars parked on the ferry.

“I’m in school dad,” Peter said, hoping his dad would leave him alone or at least wait until he got home.

“No you’re not,” Karen said. Could you get mad at an AI? Because he was about to get real mad at Karen.

“Well this is when you normally have lunch,” Tony said. “I’ve got your schedule memorized kiddo. Besides, you answered, so clearly it’s not a bad time.” Peter huffed and Tony chuckled a little. “Listen, I know you fell asleep in the car last night and then you rushed off to school this morning, but I just wanted to tell you that you did a nice job in DC.” Peter didn’t say anything because he was focused on the guys on the ferry. Tony sighed and continued. “Look, my dad, your grandfather, he never really gave me a lot of support and I’ve been trying really hard to, you know, break that cycle of shame.”

“Uh huh,” Peter said. He was trying to focus on too many things at once. It didn’t help that his dad was being super supportive and a little vulnerable with him. His dad never mentioned his grandfather. He knew that was because his grandfather had been a terrible parent, or at least that’s what Rhodey always told him. So it was shocking if his dad ever mentioned him.

Suddenly, the horn of the ferry blared.

“What was that?” Tony asked. Peter’s eyes widened. How was he supposed to explain that noise to his dad?

“Uh,” Peter said, fumbling for an answer. “Band practice!”

“Kiddo you quit band six months ago,” Tony pointed out. He could tell his dad was slowly figuring him out. “Peter Benjamin Stark, what are you up to?”

“Gotta go!” He shouted. “End call!” And then the call was ended. Peter knew he was probably in big trouble. But that was going to have to wait. He had a deal to bust.

* * *

Things went from bad to worse, faster than Peter could have ever expected. He was trying to stop the guys on the ferry. But then the FBI showed up and the winged guy showed up and everything went to hell. Not to mention, the winged guy and his crew had their alien-powered technology and were wreaking havoc on the ferry. And between trying to dodge shots from the winged guy, who looked like some creepy kind of Vulture, and protecting FBI agents, Peter found himself nearly knocked into the water.

“You’re messing with things you don’t understand!” The Vulture guy shouted at Peter before flying off. Peter ignored him as he tried to stop one of the weapons, that was firing wildly. He thought he had stopped it.

Until it fired again, slicing ferry in half.

“Oh, my god!” Peter shouted. He could hear the creaking of the ferry as it started to split apart. He could hear the water starting to splash against the middle of the now split ship. And he could hear screams from terrified passengers. “What do I do?” He looked around wildly, before an idea came to him. His webs were strong. He could use them to hold the ferry together. “Karen, give me an X-ray of the boat and target all the strongest points.” He could see the strongest points pop up in his goggles. He began swinging, attaching webs on each point. He went as fast as he could, hoping it was enough. When he finally reached the other side of the ferry, he exhaled and stared at the crisscrossing webs holding the ferry together.

“Great job Peter,” Karen said and Peter breathed out a sigh of relief. “You are ninety-eight percent successful.”

“Ninety-eight!” He shouted in shock. Suddenly, he heard it. One of the webs was beginning to snap. “No!” Water began flooding into the ship and Peter could hear people screaming again. He jumped towards one of the loosening webs and grabbed it. He shot another web to the other side of the ferry and tried to hold it together. He grunted in pain as he tried to keep the two sides of the ferry from separating. This was never going to work. The ferry was going to separate and everyone on it was in danger.

But then he started to feel the ferry moving back together. He looked around wildly, trying to figure out what was causing the motion.

“Hi Spider-Man.” His eyes went wide. Iron Man was pushing the ferry back together. “Band practice, was it?”

He was in so much trouble.

* * *

Peter sat on the edge of building. His legs were dangling over the edge and he was kicking them back and forth just to try and calm his nerves. Helicopters were still flying around the ferry. His mask was in his hands and he twisted it around nervously. He knew he was in trouble. It was only a matter of time until his dad showed up.

“Previously on Peter Screws the Pooch,” Peter didn’t have to look up. He could hear the repulsors and knew his dad was there; or a suit was there. After the last incident with the Vulture guy, he didn’t know if his dad was actually in the suit or not. He knew his dad avoided getting back into the suit since Siberia. “I tell you to stay away from this. Instead, you hacked a multimillion-dollar suit so you could sneak around behind my back doing the one thing I told you not to do.” He could tell his dad was angry with him.

“Is everyone okay?” Peter asked, still too ashamed to look at him.

“No thanks to you.” Peter’s eyes went wide and he turned to face the suit hovering just a few feet away from him.

“No thanks to me?” Peter swung his legs around and moved so he was standing in front of the suit. “Those weapons were out there, and I tried to tell you about it. But you didn’t listen. None of this would’ve happened if you had just listened to me!” He was mad now. His dad had told him to back off, but he couldn’t because his dad was refusing to see the real problem. And if his dad was refusing to see the problem, then he was going to have solve it. He glared at the suit, believing it was empty. “If you even cared, you’d actually be here.”

Then the suit opened up and his dad stepped out. Peter gasped a little and stepped back. So he had messed up so bad that his dad had put on the suit for the first time since Siberia. This was bad. Really bad. Tony leveled his son with an angry look.

“I did listen,” Tony said. He was unbelievably angry with his son. He was also disappointed in Peter. What was his kid thinking? He couldn’t handle a situation like this. “Who do you think called the FBI, huh?” Peter’s shoulders slumped forward. So his dad had done something. But why call the FBI when Tony had him? Why wouldn’t he just let him be a hero? “Do you know that I was the only one who believed in you? Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, they all think I’m crazy letting a kid run around in a suit.”

“I’m not a kid!” Peter shouted.

“Wrong!” Tony said, his voice raising. “So wrong, so this is where you zip it, all right? The adult is talking. And you are a kid and not just any kid, alright? You’re my kid so you will zip it and listen, do you understand?” Peter nodded numbly. Tony sighed and pursed his lips, staring angrily at the ferry in the distance. “Peter, what if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right? ‘Cause that’s on you. But if you died, Peter that’s on me. And I cannot handle that. I cannot lose you.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Peter stuttered out. “I-I just wanted to be like you, dad.”

“And I wanted you to be better.” Peter stepped back a little, the words stinging at him. He felt his eyes tear up. He had screwed up really bad. “Okay, this is not working out. I’m taking suit back.” Peter’s eyes went wide as tears started to slip down his face.

“F-For how long?” He asked, his voice showing how upset he was. His dad couldn’t take the suit. He needed it. He needed to stop bad guys and keep the world safe. He needed the suit.

“Forever.” A little cry escaped Peter’s throat and Peter shook his head.

“Dad please,” Peter begged and Tony shook his head. Tony couldn’t handle the stress that the suit was bringing on him. It was clear Peter wasn’t ready. Maybe in a few years. Maybe never. But it was clear the suit needed to be taken away. “Please. This is all I have. I’m nothing without this suit.” Tony sucked in a breath. It sounded all too familiar. His son was starting to sound like him when he was at his lowest point. When all he had cared about was making suits under the guise of keeping his loved ones safe. But that had taken him down a dark path. That had led to Ultron, to Sokovia, to the breaking up of the Avengers, to almost losing Pepper for good.

He couldn’t let that happen to his son.

“If you’re nothing without this suit,” Tony started, trying to keep his voice even, wondering if his emotions would betray him. “Then you shouldn’t have it.” A sob ripped through Peter’s throat and it nearly broke Tony’s heart. But he knew it was better this way. He knew taking the suit away was the only way to protect his son from turning into him. Peter was supposed to be better than him. Peter was supposed to be everything Tony couldn’t ever be.

“We’re going home now.” Peter nodded numbly, tears still falling down his face. Tony stepped back into the suit and Peter sadly pulled the mask over his face. Tony held onto Peter’s arm and flew towards the tower. He tried to drown out the sniffs he could hear coming from Peter. What he was doing was right. His son would forgive him.

At least, he hoped Peter could forgive him. Because he was just trying to protect Peter from turning into him.


	23. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter felt empty without being Spider-Man. Everything felt hollow and numb. After the ferry incident, Peter locked himself in his room and cried. He refused to come out, but then again, it wasn’t like his dad had tried to convince him otherwise. Pepper had tried to talk to him, but Peter didn’t listen. He cried until he couldn’t cry anymore.
> 
> And then emptiness took the place of sadness.

Peter felt empty without being Spider-Man. Everything felt hollow and numb. After the ferry incident, Peter locked himself in his room and cried. He refused to come out, but then again, it wasn’t like his dad had tried to convince him otherwise. Pepper had tried to talk to him, but Peter didn’t listen. He cried until he couldn’t cry anymore.

And then emptiness took the place of sadness.

Principal Morita gave him a month’s worth of detention for ditching Nationals, cutting class, and then cutting detention. He barely listened as he was told he was a good kid. He didn’t care. He went to Decathlon meetings and just sat quietly. They didn’t have any meets for a few months anyways. He rejoined band, playing percussion with little to no flair.

“Are you okay?” He and Ned were sitting in the band room, working on the Lego death star. Peter shrugged as he assembled a few pieces. “I’m sorry your dad took the suit away.” Peter shrugged again and Ned sighed.

“I’m sorry I’m not better company,” Peter said quietly. Ned nodded and offered him a slight smile.

“Better than nothing,” Ned said as Peter put on the final piece. Peter attempted a smile and they exchanged their usual handshake.

_ Better than nothing _ . Peter thought. But the empty feeling was still there.

* * *

Tony felt horrible seeing how hard Peter was taking losing the suit. He moped around the Tower barely saying anything. When they’d have meals together, Peter would eat silently. He’d answer Pepper’s questions about school with shrugs or one-word answers.

It broke Tony’s heart to see how sad his son was. But he also knew he made the right choice. He knew he had to protect his son from turning into him. Because that was a fate worse than anything else.

Tony was sitting on the couch, trying to read a report on his StarkPad. But all he could think about was his son. He sighed and put the StarkPad down. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and squeezed his eyes shut. He felt the couch dip a little and he opened his eyes. Pepper had sat down next to him. She gently curled her hand around his, letting their fingers interlock. Tony sighed.

“Worried?”

“Always.” Tony muttered. Pepper nodded and leaned against his side. “It’s hard to watch, seeing him so sad.”

“You did the right thing,” Pepper said gently. Tony nodded. He knew that, but seeing his son so distraught didn’t make the decision any easier. Peter walked into the room then. His shoulders were slumped forward and there was a sad look on his face. “Hi sweetie.” Peter glanced over at Pepper and Tony, but didn’t say anything. “Are you hungry?” Peter shrugged. Pepper got up from the couch and went about putting together some food. Tony avoided staring, for the millionth time at his son, by putting on the TV. He could hear Pepper trying to talk to Peter, but not getting any responses. Then the elevator dinged.

“Where’s my favorite nephew?” Rhodey walked into the room, a smile on his face. Tony sighed. He had called Rhodey and told him what was going on. He wasn't sure if it would help, but it was always nice to have Rhodey around.

“Hi Uncle Rhodey,” Peter said, his voice quiet. Rhodey walked over to Peter, his braces whirring as he did so. He pulled Peter into a hug. Peter hugged him back, but with less excitement than usual. He then pulled away and took the plate Pepper was holding out to him.

And then he walked out of the room.

“You didn’t tell me it was that bad,” Rhodey said, walking over to the couch.

“Well it is,” Tony said with a sigh. Rhodey sat down. “I don’t know what to do. It’s been days and he’s still like that.”

“Just give it times Tones,” Rhodey said. “He’ll figure it out.” Tony sighed but nodded. He knew Rhodey and Pepper were right. But that didn’t mean he was any less worried about his son.

* * *

Peter sighed as he walked through the hallways of the school the next day. He hadn’t left his room after Rhodey had showed up. He knew it was someone’s idea to cheer him up. But he didn’t want to be cheered up. As he turned a corner, he spotted Liz. She was hanging a banner for Homecoming. She turned and spotted Peter. He sighed and walked over to her.

“Hey,” Peter said. He still felt awful for what happened in DC.

“Hi,” Liz said, a polite smile on her face.  

“I, uh, I thought you had calculus fifth period.” Liz shrugged and looked at the banner.

“Yeah, I was just doing some homecoming stuff.” Peter nodded and sighed.

“Look, I, uh,” He paused, not sure how to go about apologizing to her. But he knew he owed her that much. “I just wanted to apologize about the whole Decathlon thing. I really,” Liz shook her head and he stopped.

“It’s fine,” Liz said and Peter pursed his lips. It didn’t feel fine to him. “Last week, Decathlon was the most important thing, but then I almost died.” Peter flinched a little, thinking back to the incident at the Washington Monument when Liz almost fell with the elevator.

“No, I, I just mean that,” Peter huffed, trying to find the right words. She looked at him, a strange sort of sweet expectation in her eyes “It was not cool, especially,” He sighed. Well, it was now or never. “Because... I like you.” There, he had finally said it. He had told Liz Allen he liked her.

“I know,” Liz said, a small smile playing on her lips. Peter’s eyes widened in shock. Liz giggled a little. “You’re terrible at keeping secrets.” She smiled and Peter couldn’t help but smile, the butterflies he always had around Liz back in full force.

“I got to get to class,” Peter said and Liz nodded. “But, um, I’d say we should hang out, but I’m gonna be in detention forever.” Liz nodded again, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “But, um, I guess you already have a date to homecoming.” Liz shook her head.

“Actually, I was so busy planning it I never really got around to that part,” Liz said with a shrug. She then looked at Peter, her dark eyes staring at him, as if waiting for him to make the first move.

“Do you want to go with me?” Liz smiled.

“Yeah. Sure.” Peter’s eyes went wide and huge smile crossed his face.

“Really?” Liz giggled at his response. Peter tried to play it cool, but he was far too excited. “I mean, uh, great. Cool.” Liz smiled at him.

“Cool.” Peter then turned and headed back to class. His smile just grew into a grin. He was going to Homecoming with Liz Allen. Liz Allen was going to Homecoming with him. He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t wait to tell Ned. And then a realization dawned on him.

He was going to need help.

* * *

“Dad!” Tony and Rhodey were sitting in the lab. Tony had been working on Rhodey’s braces, making sure they were still running with perfect efficiency. Rhodey was suggesting ideas to help Peter, to which Tony was just sighing heavily. It was clear nothing was going to pull Peter out of his funk.

Which was why they were both so startled when Peter came running into the lab, sliding to a stop.

“Whoa where’s the fire kiddo?” Rhodey asked with a slight smirk on his face. Tony looked his son up and down. His eyes were wide with bewilderment and excitement. His shoulders weren’t slumped forward. He seemed happy. So what had changed?

“I need your help,” Peter said. “I need a suit and maybe flowers and definitely need to know how to tie a tie.” Tony got up and walked over to his son.

“Easy there,” Tony said. “What do you need my help with?”

“I have a date for Homecoming,” Peter said, a smile crossing his face. “With Liz.” A small smile crossed Tony’s face. His son had his first date. And no matter what had happened, Peter still wanted his help.

“Who’s Liz?” Rhodey asked, walking over to them.

“Senior on his Academic Decathlon team,” Tony said. “Peter’s had a crush on her for a while.” Peter’s face flushed in embarrassment.

“A senior, huh?” Rhodey asked, a smirk across his face. “Damn, maybe he is your son.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“Dad come on,” Peter said, pulling his dad towards the elevator. Tony forgot how strong his son was, as Peter pulled him. Rhodey followed after them. “I need to find my suit. And should I get her flowers? Or like that thing that girls wear on their wrist? What’s that called?” Tony chuckled as they reached the penthouse.

“It’s called a corsage,” Tony said as they walked out of the elevator.

“Right,” Peter said. “Should I get her a corsage?”

“Get who a corsage?” They reached the kitchen to see Pepper standing by the kitchen island.

“Liz,” Peter said. “My Homecoming date.” A smile crossed Pepper’s face and she glanced at Tony who nodded.

“Well I can help with you that,” Pepper said. “I know a great florist who can get any flower arrangement here in under thirty minutes. What color dress is she wearing?” Peter shrugged and Pepper smiled. “I’ll just go with white.” She fixed a stray hair on his head and then walked off to make the call.

“Alright kiddo,” Tony said. “Let’s find you a suit.” Peter nodded and they headed towards his room, leaving Rhodey in the kitchen. “So Liz huh?” Peter blushed.

“Yeah,” Peter said as they entered his room. “Apparently she knew I liked her. Kind of embarrassing but she still said yes so,” Peter opened his closet and began peering around for a suit. “I’m just really happy she said yes.” Tony smiled and sat down on Peter’s bed.

“I’m happy for you too kiddo,” Peter found his suit and quickly started putting it on. Tony just waited, willing to offer help if his son needed it. He was glad this had happened. It was getting more and more difficult watching his son mope. But this date to Homecoming seemed to pull him out of the funk.

“I can’t find a tie,” Peter said, buttoning up his shirt. Tony chuckled and stood up.

“I’ll go grab one,” Tony said. “You just finish getting dressed.” Peter nodded and Tony exited the room. He let out a sigh of relief as he entered his room. It was almost calming to see his son acting as he normally did. The guilt he felt from taking the suit was subsiding. He walked into his walk-in closet and began searching for a tie.

“He seems very excited,” Tony turned to see Pepper. “Corsage should be here soon.”

“Yeah,” Tony said, with a small smile. He grabbed a maroon tie. “I’m glad. He had me really worried there for a second.” Pepper nodded. “And since he’s going to be out tonight, how about a date night? Just you and me. I’ll kick Rhodey out and go dark on contact. No interruptions.” Pepper smiled.

“I like the sound of that,” She said, kissing his cheek. “Now go help your son.” Tony chuckled and exited the closet. When he re-entered Peter’s room, Peter already had finished getting the suit on.

“Looking good kiddo,” Tony said. He held the tie out to Peter and Peter looked down at it sheepishly.

“Could you help me with it?” Tony smiled and kissed Peter’s forehead. “Dad.” Tony flipped the collar of the dress shirt up and began assembling the tie under the collar.

“Thanks,” Peter said and Tony nodded. “Do you think you could drive me to Liz’s? Her dad is going to drive us to Homecoming, but um, I’d really like it if you could drive me over and not Uncle Happy.” Tony finished the tie and smiled.

“I’d be happy to do that kiddo,” Tony said. “I wouldn’t let anyone else take you to your first date.” Peter’s ears flushed red in embarrassment.

“Dad,” Peter whined. Tony chuckled, but smiled. Peter then suddenly hugged him tightly. Tony was a little surprised by the action at first, but hugged his son back. “Love you dad. Sorry if I haven’t said that enough lately.” Damn his kid. Tony sniffed a little, trying to keep his eyes from welling up.

“I always know that bambino,” Tony said. He had the urge to run his hand through his son’s hair, but it was clear Peter had styled it for Homecoming. Tony let go and stepped back. “Now let’s get that corsage Pepper ordered for you and drop you off for your date.” Peter smiled, a huge, genuine grin and it made Tony feel a lot better than before.

Maybe, just maybe, everything was going to be okay.


	24. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter held the plastic container with the corsage and approached the door. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.
> 
> And then the Vulture opened the door.

Peter sat in the front seat of his dad’s Audi. His knee bounced up and down, a sure sign of his nerves. Tony glanced over at his son and chuckled.

“It’s going to be okay kiddo,” Tony said. They pulled up to Liz’s house. Peter smirked. The last time he was there he was trying to impress Liz with Spider-Man. Now, he, Peter Stark, was taking her to Homecoming. Tony put the car in park and turned towards Peter.

“Alright bambino,” Tony said. “So, what’s the plan here?”

“Open the door for her?” Peter offered and Tony nodded. “Tell her she looks nice, but not too much because that would be creepy.” Tony chuckled and Peter smiled nervously. “If we dance,”

“When you dance,” Tony said. “You look like a million bucks kid, she’s going to want to dance with you.” Peter's ears turned red in embarrassment. 

“Right,” Peter said, still feeling nervous. “When we dance, I put my hands on her hips. Like a gentleman.” Tony smiled and nodded. He could tell Peter was nervous. But he also knew Peter was going to have a good time.

“Sounds like a plan,” Tony said. “Have fun. I love you.” Peter opened the door and started to get out.

“I love you too dad.” Tony smiled and then, once Peter was out of the car, he drove off. Peter held the plastic container with the corsage and approached the door. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

And then the Vulture opened the door.

“You must be Peter,” He said, smiling at him. “I’m Liz’s dad.” Peter could not believe what was happening. The guy with the crazy wings that was stealing alien-powered technology was Liz’s dad. They didn’t even have the same last name! God, what luck did he have? “Put her there.” Peter awkwardly shook his hand, hoping he didn’t look horrified. Clearly, his behavior didn’t rile Liz’s dad. “Hell of a grip you got there. Come on in.” He led Peter inside. This all felt wrong. Was this a trap? Did Liz know? A woman who looked a lot like Liz came in. He assumed she was Liz’s mom, but he kept his eyes on Toomes. Peter barely responded when she greeted him. And then she left the room to go get Liz.

“You all right, Pete?” Peter watched Toomes carefully. He must’ve been staring too much.

“Y-Yeah.” Toomes watched him, a slight smirk on his face.

“Because you look pale,” Toomes said and Peter attempted a sheepish smile. He was sure he just looked awkward and uncomfortable. “You want something to drink? Like a bourbon or a scotch, or something like that?” Peter narrowed his eyes at Toomes.

“I’m not old enough to drink.” He said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his suit pants. Toomes chuckled and smiled. He walked over to Peter and clapped him on the shoulder. Peter fought back the urge to wince.

“That’s the right answer.” He said with a smile. He was about to say something when his eyes widened. He let go of Peter’s shoulder and Peter turned to see Liz walk into the room. She was wearing a dark pink, almost red dress. It was long enough to look modest, but short enough to show her legs. She looked gorgeous. Peter expected the butterflies in his stomach to kick in. But they didn't. Peter could hardly notice her with Toomes standing there.

“Wow, wow, wow,” Toomes said, walking over to her “You look beautiful.” Liz blushed in embarrassment but smiled. “Doesn’t she, Pete?” Liz looked over at Peter and a he felt a small warm feeling, but nothing like normal. Instead, he could just feel the hairs on his arms standing up. He glanced at Toomes before looking back at Liz. 

“Yeah, you look really good.” Liz smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She noticed the box in his hand and her smile grew.

“Is that a corsage?” Peter looked down at the box and nodded. He handed it to Liz, his eyes still watching Toomes. She didn’t seem to notice his behavior and smiled. “Thanks.”

“Well, hey, I’m your chauffeur,” Toomes said. Peter froze and felt the tension in him only increase. There was no way he was getting into a car with the Vulture. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

“No, we have to take some pictures,” Liz’s mom said. She pushed Peter and Liz together, Liz giving her mother a look and mouthing something at her. Peter smiled awkwardly as Liz wrapped her hand around his arm. “I can send these to your parents Peter.” He barely nodded glancing back at Toomes. He didn’t know how Toomes did it; steal high-powered technology one minute and act like a doting father and husband the next. It was creepy to say the least. After Liz’s mother was done taking pictures, Peter turned towards Toomes.

“Sir, you don’t have to drive us,” Peter said. Sure, he couldn’t drive. But anything was better than being in  a car with the Vulture.

“No, no, it’s not a big deal,” Toomes said. “I’m going out of town. It’s right on my way.” Liz walked over to her mother to inspect the photos. As she did, Liz’s mother looked at Toomes.

“He’s always coming and going.” Toomes smiled and shook his head.

“Last time.” Peter didn’t like the sound of that. What did that even mean? And was he planning on stealing more technology that evening? Liz walked back over and gently wrapped her arm around Peter’s arm. Normally, he was sure he would’ve been freaking out. But his Spidey sense was going crazy being near Toomes. Liz dragged him out towards the car, calling goodbyes out to her mother. Toomes followed them.

“Come on Pedro,” Toomes said, a smirk on his face. “You two have a dance to get to.” He opened the door for Liz and let her get in. He watched Toomes carefully. He thought about closing the door and running off. He could call his dad and get Toomes taken care of right now. But he knew his dad wouldn’t listen. He had taken the suit away for a reason. Peter was just going to have to let this go.

If only it were that easy.

* * *

Tony walked back into the Tower after dropping Peter off. Happy was in charge of moving everything Avenger’s related to the Compound that night. Tony hadn’t wanted to mention that to Peter, because he knew it would upset his son. And since Happy was taking care of that mundane task, he could focus on his promise to Pepper.

He found her sitting on the couch, reading a book. He smiled and sat down next to her. She put her book down and cuddled up against him.

“FRIDAY,” Tony said, pressing a kiss to the side of Pepper’s head. “Initiate blackout protocol for myself and Ms. Potts. No calls in and no calls out until 11 PM.”

“Yes boss,” FRIDAY said. Pepper smiled as Tony wrapped his arms around her.

“So what did you have in mind?” She asked, glancing up at him. She gently reached up and ran her hand across his goatee. He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to it.

“Dinner,” Tony said. “And then dessert.” He raised his eyebrows and Pepper laughed lightly. “I mean, we do have the place to ourselves. Hap’s busy with moving day. Rhodey went back to the Compound. And Peter’s got his dance until 11.”

“I like the sound of that,” Pepper said, leaning toward him. She pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. Tony pulled her closer, breathing into the kiss. Pepper laughed lightly and pulled away. “I thought you said dinner first, not dessert.” Tony chuckled and kissed her again.

“Sorry got tempted to flip the order,” He said with a smirk. She shook her head before getting up. He stood up with her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Dinner and then dessert as promised.” She smiled and kissed his cheek before pulling away and pulling him towards the kitchen. He smiled, looking forward to a nice night, just the two of them.

* * *

Peter gulped as Liz left the car. He didn’t want to be alone with Toomes. It was clear he was up to something. But he couldn’t say no, he couldn’t tell Liz why he didn’t want to be anywhere near her father. So he just sat there, uncomfortable but ready to fight at a moment’s notice. He felt the hairs on his arm stand up. Then Toomes turned around, a gun in his hand. Peter tensed up, but an angry look crossed his face.

“Does she know?” He tried to act dumb, like he didn’t know what Toomes was talking about.

“Know what?” Toomes smirked and it made Peter feel sick. It was clear he had figured him out, that he knew he was Spider-Man. Peter wanted to do nothing more than attack. But Toomes had the upper hand and he didn’t have a suit.

“So she doesn’t,” Toomes said with a nod. Peter glared at him. So he knew. Peter was definitely. “Good. Close to the vest. I admire that. I’ve got a few secrets of my own.” Peter narrowed his eyes at him. “Of all the reasons I didn’t want my daughter to date.” Toomes smirked and Peter said nothing. He couldn’t imagine how someone so kind and genuine like Liz had come from a scumbag like Toomes.   


“Peter, nothing is more important than family. You saved my daughter’s life. I could never forget something like that. So I’m going to give you one chance. Are you ready? You walk through those doors; you forget any of this happened." Peter glared at him. He couldn't just let him get away. He couldn't just walk away.

But then Toomes cocked the gun at him

"And don’t you ever, ever interfere with my business again. Because if you do, I’ll kill you and everybody you love.” He pointed the gun directly at Peter. He was serious. He could kill him, right then and there. But there was an evil smirk in his eyes and a sick twisted smile on his face. Peter looked down. He wanted to stop him. He wanted to beat him into the ground and watch him get arrested. He couldn’t hurt him. This was Liz’s dad and it was clear Liz loved her dad. “That’s what I’ll do to protect my family. Do you understand?” Peter nodded but refused to look at this psychotic man. He felt terrible. Terrible that he couldn’t do anything. Terrible that Toomes was going to get away. And terrible that he wanted to harm him.

“Hey, I just saved your life.” Peter looked up at him. The sick, twisted smile was still on Toomes’ face. Peter clenched his jaw, trying to keep his face even. “Now, what do you say?

“Thank you.” God, he hated this guy. What he wouldn’t give to stop him.

“You’re welcome. Now, you go in there and you show my daughter a good time, okay? Just not too good.” Peter got out of the car. He felt sick. He walked into the school. Toomes was the Vulture. He was up to something. Something huge. He had to stop him.

He spotted Liz on the dance floor. She was laughing and dancing, having the best time. But her face fell when she saw Peter. She crossed to him.

“What did he say to you?” Peter just shook his head. He hated to do this. He finally got to go out with Liz Allen, the girl of his dreams and it was all destroyed.

“I’m sorry,” Peter said. Her frown only grew as he spoke. It killed him to do this. But he had to stop Toomes. Even if it meant hurting Liz. “You don’t deserve this.” And then he ran out of the gym. He ran because he couldn’t face Liz. He ran because he had to stop Toomes before it was too late. He didn’t have the suit his dad gave him. But he did still have the suit Lila made him. And that was going to have to do.

* * *

After some quick thinking from Ned, a stolen car from Flash, and sheer dumb luck on the driving front, Peter was able to track Toomes. And he thought he had him caught. But he should’ve figured that Toomes had a backup plan.

He just didn’t think it involved burying him in a pile of rubble.

The impact hadn’t knocked him out, but it had certainly knocked the wind out of him. He strained against the concrete, trying to pull himself free. He pulled the mask off and tossed it in front of him. He let out a cry as he felt something crush against his leg.

“Oh god,” He said, his breath coming in short gasps. He tried to move around, but it was no use. He was stuck.

“Hello!” He shouted, his voice full of panic. Everything hurt, his head, his arms. Even breathing hurt. He struggled again, a cry bubbling out of his throat. “Please! I’m down here! I’m stuck…I-I can’t move!” He could feel his breath coming short. Every gasp of air burned his lungs. He let out a cry of pain, realizing how stuck he was.

No one was going to find him. He hadn’t told Ned where he tracked Toomes to. His phone was in Toomes’ car, but Toomes had been expecting him, so his phone was long gone. Unlike the suit his dad made him, this suit didn’t have a tracker. He was all alone. He collapsed down to the ground, feeling hopeless. He was going to die there. No one was going to find him.

He could see his reflection in a small puddle in front of him. His face was bruised and covered in blood from his nose and forehead. The mask was lying in the puddle as if it was mocking him. His head dipped down. He was useless.

Then he remembered what his dad had said.

“ _ If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it _ .”

The suit didn’t make him Spider-Man. He did.

“Come on Spider-Man,” He grunted, lifting himself up onto his palms. He planted his hands into the ground and began to push up. “Come on Spider-Man.” His lungs burned as he tried to breathe through the pain. He pushed and pushed, trying to escape the debris. “Come on Spider-Man!” He grunted and let out a cry as he pushed. He could do this. He was going to get himself out of this. He had those powers for a reason.

He let out a scream as he pushed the debris off him, finally able to sit up. He coughed and bit back a sob bubbling up in his throat. He couldn’t break down now. He had to stop Toomes. He grabbed his mask and swung towards the Tower.

He had to stop Toomes before he hurt anyone else.

* * *

Peter stood on the beach, the destroyed plane all around them. Had he meant to crash his dad’s plane? No. Was it the only option to stop Toomes from getting away with thousands of pieces of alien tech? Yes. His ears were still ringing, but he stared at Toomes in front of him.

“Hey Pedro,” Toomes said. He couldn’t see his face, but he imagined Toomes was smirking at him. He flew at him and Peter rolled out of the way. He tried to shoot a web at Toomes, but he missed and Toomes knocked him down, landing his metal talons on his chest. Peter let out a cry before Toomes hit him repeatedly in the face. He stopped a punch from Toomes, but he was pulled into the air. He got a few blows in before Toomes smashed him repeatedly into the sand. He lifted Peter up by the hoodie of his suit. Peter felt like he could barely keep his eyes open. But he had to stop Toomes. He had to.

“Bingo,” Toomes dropped him to the ground. Peter fell like a sack of potatoes. Everything in him felt like it was on fire. He had never felt this kind of pain before, and he had literally fought Captain America. He watched Toomes fly towards a box that had not been destroyed with the rest of the crash. Peter watched the sparks coming off Toomes’ wings. That couldn’t be good.

“Your wings are going to explode!” Peter shouted. He hated Toomes and wanted to stop him. But he was also Liz’s dad. He didn’t want him to die. But even with his mask off, Toomes didn’t seem to be hearing him. He was starting to fly away, the wings sparking more and more. Peter raised his arm, biting by a shout of pain and shot a web. It connected with the box and Peter pulled himself up. He pulled tight, trying to bring Toomes back down to the ground. His arms burned with pain and he pulled.

“Time to go home Pete.”

“I’m trying to save you!” Peter held tighter, even though it hurt. But Toomes cut the wing loose, causing Peter to tumble back into the sand.

And then his wings exploded and Toomes went crashing down.

“No!” Peter pulled himself up. He couldn’t let him die. He couldn’t do that to Liz. He went running towards the fire, hoping Toomes was still alive. The fire licked and burst at him, but he managed to avoid it. He would’ve breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Toomes, but he didn’t have time. He lifted him up over his shoulder and carried him away from the fire. Toomes stared at him in disbelief as Peter dropped him to the ground.

“Hey, I just saved your life,” Peter coughed out. “What do you say?” And before Toomes could respond, Peter webbed him up to the nearest piece of debris. “Never mind. I don’t really care.” He could hear sirens approaching and knew he had to get out of there. As soon as he was sure Toomes was webbed up with nowhere to go, Peter swung out of there.

He perched himself onto of the Coney Island Cyclone, watching as cops, EMTs, and some Stark Industries employees flooded the scene. He wondered if Happy was down there. He wondered what Happy or anyone else would do when they saw Toomes. Peter leaned his head back against the post he was sitting against and sighed.

He was exhausted and in pain. But he had stopped Toomes. He shut his eyes, feeling a wave of tiredness rush over him. He let the wave overtake him, his body aching for sleep.

* * *

Tony’s relaxing date with Pepper turned sour the minute Happy called him.

“Boss something happened with the plane.” Tony looked at Pepper wide-eyed. “It went down. At Coney Island.”

“Sound clean-up crews stat,” Tony said. “And figure out what happened.”

“I’m already here and the crews are taking care of it,” Happy said, his voice echoing through the penthouse of the Tower. “But there’s something you need to know. It was that Vulture guy. The one Peter was talking about.” Tony tensed up and Pepper grabbed his hand. “There’s webs all over this guy Tony. I think…I think Peter was here.” Tony squeezed his eyes shut. What had Peter been thinking? Going after this guy without the suit? Tony cleared his throat, trying to calm the panic in him.

“Just clean it all up Hap,” Tony said. “And make sure someone is there to arrest that Vulture guy.” The call ended and Tony took a long breath, trying to quell the tightening in his chest.

“It’s okay,” Pepper whispered, gently running her hand up and down his arm.

“He went after him Pep,” Tony said. “I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but he did.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “He must’ve done it in that damn onesie.”

“Breathe Tony,” Pepper said gently. “Peter’s going to be okay.” Tony nodded, not sure if he believed her.

So he began pacing the penthouse.

Happy kept him updated on the situation at the beach. The mess was being cleaned up. Adrian Toomes, the name of the guy behind the Vulture wings, was in custody. But no one could find Peter. His phone wasn’t coming up on any tracking system. No one had heard from him. So Tony paced, hoping that his son would come home.

He wondered if this was what his son felt like every time he put on the suit. Had he put his son through a similar, panicked feeling? Or was it different for him because Peter was his child? He couldn’t stand the feeling of his son, out there, possibly hurt. What if Peter needed him? What if the Vulture had done something to him and Peter needed him to come rescue him? What if he was letting his son down by not looking for him? As time wore on, Tony’s concern and panic only grew.

Until the elevator dinged at 3 AM.

Tony felt his heart drop into his stomach as he saw Peter. He was wearing the old suit, but there were rips in it. It was covered in dirt and dried blood. Tony fought back a gasp as he stared at his son’s face. His face was pale and his eyes were red. There were cuts and bruises everywhere Tony could see.

“Dad,” Peter croaked out. Tony fought the urge to cry, seeing how hurt his son was, and just crossed to his son. He gently pulled him into a hug. Peter buried his face in his dad’s shoulder. Tony held him closely, not caring if dust, or blood, or anything else got on him. He was glad that Peter was safe. He had a million questions for Peter; things like what was he thinking, why did he go after him, why he didn’t call for help. But those questions could wait.

For now, he was fine with just hugging his son tightly, thanking whatever higher power kept him safe.


	25. After Coney Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you okay?” Tony asked gently. Peter looked warily at his dad. He couldn’t read the expression on his face. Sure, he looked worried, but there was something else there. Peter nodded.

Peter woke with a start, his breathing heavy and ragged. He looked around, almost expecting to just see debris around him. But he was in his bed. He let out a long exhale and sat up slowly. He was still very sore. He lifted his shirt and grimaced at the bruises on his chest. He was sure they would fade and stop hurting soon. He lowered the shirt and sighed.

He barely remembered getting to his bed. He remembered coming home. He remembered his dad hugging him. And then it was all fuzzy. He had a feeling his dad had carried him to bed and help him out of his old suit.

“FRIDAY?” He called, glancing up at the ceiling. “Where’s my dad?”

“Boss is in the living room with Ms. Potts,” FRIDAY said and Peter sighed. “Shall I alert them you are awake?”

“No thanks,” Peter said, slowly getting up. He groaned as his feet touched the floor. He probably should’ve just stayed in bed. But he knew he was going to have to talk to his dad at some point. He slowly made his way down to the living room.

“Clean-up is being taken care of,” He could hear Pepper talking. “No press conference on the matter. The person behind this mess has been apprehended. You can quote me on all of that.” He entered the room as Pepper ended the call.

“Peter.” Tony was shocked to see his son out of bed. “You shouldn’t be up.” Peter shrugged and Tony blew out a breath. “Well at least come sit down.” He walked over to the couch and sat down next to his dad. Tony pulled his close and pressed a kiss to his hair. Pepper sat down on his other side.

“Are you okay?” Tony asked gently. Peter looked warily at his dad. He couldn’t read the expression on his face. Sure, he looked worried, but there was something else there. Peter nodded.

“I’m sorry,” Peter said. “I…I shouldn’t have done it.” He bit his lip willing himself to not get upset. “But I had to.” Pepper reached out and gently brushed some of his hair out of his face. The action calmed him a little. He looked over at his dad. He could see that his dad’s jaw was clenched a little.

“Why?” Tony asked, trying to keep his tone gentle.

“The Vulture,” Peter started. “He’s…he’s Liz’s dad.” Tony’s eyes widened. “He figured out who I was. And he threatened me, dad. And as much as it would’ve been easy to just go to Homecoming and act like nothing was wrong, I just couldn’t. I had to stop him.”

“Oh Peter,” Tony said, pulling him closer to him. “You should’ve called me. I could’ve helped you.”

“I left my phone in Toomes’ car,” Peter said. “I needed a way to track him.”

“Your son,” Pepper said and Tony sighed. He thought back to their conversation in India. Was this some sort of karma for all the years he had done the same thing?

“The plane?” Tony asked gently. He tried to ignore the tightening in his chest when he thought of the beach. The plane had clearly crashed. Had Peter been on the plane? Had that been his idea?

“Something was wrong with his wings,” Peter said. “The plane was going to go down. I just needed it to go somewhere safe, I guess.” Peter sighed, remembering how his ears were ringing from the plane crashing into the beach. “He was so much stronger than me, dad. I…I don’t know how I stopped him.” Tony tried not to grimace. There had been, what looked like claw marks all over Peter’s chest. He couldn’t imagine the kind of fight his son had been through. If he hadn’t taken away the suit, his son would’ve been fine. Peter took a breath. “His wings would’ve killed him.”

“But you didn’t let that happen?” Pepper offered gently and Peter nodded.

“Why?” Tony asked. “He’s not a good guy Peter. No one would’ve missed him.” Peter shook his head.

“Liz would’ve,” Peter said softly. Tony closed his eyes. Of course, his kid would think that way. His son would never doom someone to a life without their parents. Peter had felt that pain too many times, questioning if he was alive or not. Tony hugged Peter tightly and kissed his forehead.

“You’re too good kid, you know that?” Peter gave his dad a watery smile. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“And the stuff on the plane?”

“I don’t care about any of that stuff Peter,” Tony said. “All of that stuff can be replaced or rebuilt. You, are what I care about. You’re my kid and the most important thing in the world to me.” Peter glanced at Pepper. “Hey, she knows you come first.”

“I happen to agree personally,” Pepper said, gently tousling Peter’s hair. Peter smiled and glanced back at his dad.

“All that stuff is replaceable,” Tony said, gently squeezing Peter’s shoulder. “You’re not.” Peter hugged his dad tightly. Tony rested his chin on top of Peter’s head. He was glad his son was safe. But it was clear that Peter wasn’t just a friendly neighborhood vigilante. He was a hero. And he was ready for more.

“Alright since you’re awake,” Tony said, pulling away gently “How about some food?”

“I’m not really hungry,” Peter said. But then his stomach growled loudly. Tony snorted and ruffled Peter’s hair. “Okay so maybe I am.”

“Come on spiderling,” Tony said, getting up. “Breakfast.” Peter nodded and got up, heading towards the kitchen. Tony paused for a second, Pepper standing next to him. “He’s ready for more.”

“So what did you have in mind?” Pepper asked, glancing at him. Tony watched Peter, who was searching the refrigerator for something to eat. He remembered months ago, before the whole debacle in Germany, wondering what had changed in his son. He could see it now; the spider-bite, being Spider-Man, it had caused his son to mature, to grow up a little. He was ready to be a hero, and a damn good one at that.

“Think you can call a press conference?” Tony asked. “For tomorrow afternoon?” Pepper smiled and nodded. She then walked over to Peter, who was attempting to crack a few eggs. He smiled watching the two of them, Peter focused on cracking an egg, his tongue sticking out from the side of his mouth and Pepper gently teasing him, while also fixing a stray hair.

“Dad, come on,” Peter said. “These eggs aren’t going to cook themselves.” Tony nodded and walked over. He pulled Peter close to him and kissed the top of his head. “Yeah, I love you too dad. Now, breakfast?” Tony chuckled but nodded. Things were going to change, but they were going to change for the better.

* * *

Peter walked into the Compound, Happy following him. He was confused as to what was happening. One minute, he was sitting in Decathlon practice listening as Mr. Harrington made Michelle, well MJ as she wanted to be called, the new captain. The next, he was getting texts from Happy saying he needed to come outside now, that his dad needed to talk to him. So he excused himself from practice and left school. Happy had been quiet the whole way there, not telling Peter what was going on. It was only after a turn onto the highway that Peter even realized they were going to the Compound.

Peter hadn’t been there since after the debacle in Germany. He hadn’t minded. The place felt so empty. Vision was the only one who really lived there now. Rhodey spent most of his time in DC, trying to fix the mess the Accords had caused. Everyone else was on the run, not that they didn’t deserve that for stabbing his dad in the back. But now they were going to the Compound and Peter had no idea why.

“There he is.” Peter saw his dad walking towards him. He was wearing an expensive three-piece suit. He only tended to wear suits like that when he was dealing with reporters. “Hey kiddo, how was school and decathlon practice?”

“It was good,” Peter said. “Uh Liz is moving away because of…” He paused and Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “So yeah. But Michelle is the new captain of the Decathlon team. So that should be interesting. I think we’re friends. I can never tell with her.” Tony chuckled and nodded. He guided Peter down the hall. “Dad, what’s going on?”

“We never really talked about the whole taking the suit away thing,” Tony said and Peter frowned. “It was kind of a tough love thing. I hated it personally, because you were so sad and I hate seeing you like that. But it was a necessary evil.” Peter nodded, not sure where this was going. “Listen, you screwed the pooch hard. Big time. But then you did the right thing. Took the dog to the free clinic, raised the hybrid puppies.”

“Dad,” Peter said, giving his father a weird look. He was still so clueless.

“Alright, not my best analogy,” Tony said, shaking his head. “The point is, I was wrong. And I think with a little more training and mentoring, you could be a real asset to the team.” They reached the end of the hallway and Peter stared at his dad, a bewildered expression on his face.

“The…the team?” Peter asked. “You mean…” He paused. This wasn’t real. There was no way this was happening.

“Yep,” Tony said. He pointed to a door in front of them. “So there’s about fifty reporters behind that door.” Peter’s eyes went wide. He had seen enough of his dad’s press conferences, but had never been a part of one. He knew it was inevitable, because of who his dad was, but he’d managed to avoid it for most of his life. Tony glanced at his son, a smile on his face, before tapping something on his wrist. A secret compartment in the wall opened and if it was even possible, Peter’s eyes went even wider.

It was a suit, but it looked to be made of the same material as all of his dad’s suits. He stepped closer to it, admiring it. It had a similar color scheme to his old suits, but noticed there was some gold in it as well. He remembered his dad, somewhat joking, that his suit needed a little gold in it.

“When you’re ready,” Tony said, walking to standing next to Peter. “You try that on and I’ll introduce the world to the newest official member of the Avengers. Spider-Man. Whose identity will be kept secret for obvious reasons.” Peter stared at the suit and then at his dad. Was this really happening? Was his dad offering him the chance to become an Avenger? He glanced back at the suit. This was the greatest day of his life.

But then he remembered the look on Liz’s face earlier that day. He remembered fighting the Vulture on Coney Island, instead of enjoying Homecoming. He remembered missing Nationals to try and track criminals and getting a month worth of detention for cutting school. He wanted to be an Avenger, but that didn’t mean he had to give up being a kid. Because he was still a kid. Ned had been right in DC. He was a kid and he kind of wanted to stay that way, at least for a little while longer.

“Dad this is amazing,” Peter said, looking back at his dad. “Thank you. But I’m good.” A strange look crossed Tony’s face. He took his sunglasses off and tucked him into the pocket of his blazer.

“You’re good?” Tony asked, not understanding what his son meant. He was offering him exactly what he wanted.

“I’d just rather stay on the ground for a little while longer,” Peter said, echoing their conversation from months ago. “Be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. I mean, somebody’s gotta look out for the little guy, right?” Tony pursed his lips and glanced down at his son.

“You’re turning this down,” Tony said, pointing to the suit. “You’re turning all of this down?” Peter just stared at him, even more sure of his decision than ever. “Last chance, yes or no?”

“No.” Tony stared at his son. He had offered him a chance to be an Avenger and he had turned him down. Maybe his son had become more mature that even he had expected. Tony nodded. 

“Huh, okay. It’s kind of a Springsteen-y working class hero vibe. I dig it.”

“I don’t know what that means dad,” Peter said and Tony shook his head, a small smirk playing on his lips.

“Yeah I’ll explain it at home,” Tony said. He glanced at Happy.

“Go wait in the car kid,” Happy said. “We’ll be out in a second.” Peter nodded and started to walk away. Tony pressed the same button on his watch, the suit going away and then watched his son. God, his kid was too good. Peter stopped, about halfway down the hall, realizing something. There was no way his dad would offer him a spot on the team. He was too young and his dad was too protective of him. He turned around.

“This was a test right?” Peter asked. “There’s no one back there.” Tony plastered on a smile, because no, it was not a test. But if his son needed to believe that, then he could lie.

“Yep sure was,” Tony said. Peter nodded, smirking a bit. Yeah, his dad wouldn’t have actually let him be an Avenger. It was a nice thought though. But he wasn’t ready for that. “Now skedaddle. We’ll be out in a second.” Peter nodded and jogged out of the room. When he was gone, Tony blew a long breath and looked at Happy.

Then, the door to the conference room opened.

“Where’s Peter?” Pepper asked, walking up to them. She looked around, noticing the absence of a certain fifteen-year-old spiderling.

“He actually made a really mature choice,” Tony said. “Surprised the heck out of us.” Pepper glanced at Tony, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Did you screw this up?” She asked. Tony just rocked back and forth on his heels and Happy shrugged. “Are you kidding me? I have a room full of reporters waiting for some big announcement! What am I going to tell them?” Tony glanced at Pepper, seeing how annoyed his girlfriend was at him. He had to come up with something, or else Pepper was going to kill him.

And then he remembered a plan he had in place since he got back from Afghanistan. He hated remembering those times, when he had come back, broken and bruised, having been tortured for months. He hated thinking about how he had been away from his son for so long. But Pepper had been there for Peter. She had taken care of him and kept him safe while he was gone. She had looked out for his son, like he was her own. And then the night of the gala happened and that damn blue dress and Tony realized that he loved her. He had always loved her.

“Hap, you still got that ring?” He asked, turning towards his trusted friend. He would’ve lost it. Or he would’ve sold it when Pepper left. He knew his own impulses. So, after he bought it, he trusted Happy with it. Pepper gave him a look. Happy began checking his pockets. “You know, the engagement ring.” Pepper’s eyes went wide and she stared at Tony.

“I’ve been carrying this thing around since 2008,” Happy said, pulling the ring out of his pocket. Pepper looked at the ring. Was that for her? But then she made a face. He had been carrying it around for almost ten years? She glanced at Tony, who seemed a bit surprised that Happy had it, but there was a little smile on his face.

“I think I can come up with something better,” She said, eyeing the ring. This wasn’t how she wanted to be proposed to. But then again, nothing about her relationship with Tony was conventional.

“Well it would buy us a little time.” Pepper rolled her eyes, but kissed Tony. “Like we need time.” She smiled into the kiss before pulling away. She headed back towards the conference room. Tony turned towards Happy who tossed him the ring. Maybe it wasn’t normal, but proposing to Pepper felt right. He loved her and as much as he drove her crazy, she loved him too. He followed her into the room, knowing exactly what he was going to do.

He was going to propose to the love of his life. Because he was done pretending like he didn’t want to spend every moment of the rest of his life with her.

* * *

“So there were actually reporters back there?” They were all back in the Tower, Peter, Tony, and Pepper. Peter was staring at his dad, complete shock etched on his face. “Why did you tell me it was a test?”

“Kid you turned down a spot on the Avengers,” Tony said. “My ego was bruised a bit.” Peter huffed and shook his head. “And I was proud of you for saying no.”

“Still,” Peter said. “And then you sent me to the car! And you proposed to Pepper!” Pepper laughed a little and looked at the ring on her finger, a small smile on her face. “You could’ve at least let me be there.”

“It wasn’t like I planned all of this to happen,” Tony pointed out. “I’m more of a ‘act first, think later’ kind of person.” Peter rolled his eyes. “Proposal’s all over YouTube. You can watch it there. Or I can reenact it now.” Peter just shook his head and huffed again.

“It’s fine Peter,” Pepper said. “You didn’t miss much.” Tony gasped in shock and Pepper laughed lightly, before kissing him.

“Gross,” Peter said.

“Yep.” Tony responded with a smirk. “And you’re going to have to live with this for the rest of your life.” He then headed towards the sink, where a bottle of sparkling cider was chilling. He took out three champagne flutes and poured the glasses. Peter glanced over at Pepper who was staring at the ring again. As much as he was annoyed that he missed his dad proposing to Pepper, he wasn’t annoyed that they were getting married. Exactly the opposite. He was thrilled. Because Pepper was Pepper and had been in his life since the moment he was born.

He remembered what he had said to her, all those months ago; about how she was the closest thing he had to a mother. He had said that out of anger, but it was true. He never knew his biological mother and she had passed away when he was barely old enough to remember. But Pepper had always been there. Even before his dad made her his godmother, she had always been there for him. And now they were getting married and everything felt right. Except for one thing.

His dad handed the two of them the flutes with sparkling cider and went back to grab his.

“Pepper,” Peter said, getting her attention. She looked up at him and smiled, that same loving, maternal smile she always gave him. Yeah, he was more sure than ever. “Since you and my dad are getting married, I was wondering…” He paused not sure how to say it. But he went on. “Would it be okay if…” He paused and blew out a breath. She watched him, not sure what he was asking. “Could I call you mom?” Tony paused at the counter, surprised by his son’s request. He looked over at Pepper. Her eyes were starting to water and a small smile was on her face.

“I would be honored if you called me that,” Pepper said, before walking over to him. She put the glass down and hugged him. He smiled and hugged her back.

“Okay, mom.” A few tears trickled down her face, but she ignored them and kissed his forehead. Tony’s eyes felt a little watery watching the two of them. This was going better than he could have ever expected. 

“Way to steal my thunder kiddo,” Tony said walking over to the two of them. “She’s probably going to say that’s the best question she’s been asked all day.” Peter just rolled his eyes and pulled his dad in to hug him as well. Then he let go and stepped back. Tony smiled and ruffled his son’s hair. 

“It’s a little cute when you’re jealous,” Pepper said. Tony gasped at her and she just giggled before kissing him. 

“Ugh dad, mom that’s gross.” Pepper pulled away and beamed. Tony smirked. Even Peter had a small smile on his face. 

“Deal with it kid,” Tony said. “Now let’s toast, shall we? I didn’t buy this sparkling cider for nothing.” The three of them picked up their glasses. Tony wrapped his arm around Pepper’s waist. “You want to take this one kiddo?” Peter smiled.

“To my parents.”

“I’m never going to get tired of hearing that,” Pepper said with a smile, before clinking glasses with Tony and Peter. Tony nodded and smiled. 

Everything had worked out exactly as it was supposed to. And in that moment, Tony knew he couldn’t be anymore happy than he was in that moment. He had Pepper, who had agreed to marry him, and Peter, who was showing him how mature he really was. 

Everything was going to be okay. Of that, he was positive.

**Author's Note:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? https://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


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